River Nomads

The Cool Parts of Moab

2011-06-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

There are three places you can go in the height of Summer heat while in Moab. The first choice is always the River (for me). For some reason, being on the water always feels 20 degrees cooler and if that's not enough you can always take a dip.

The second place are the natural pools that form within the creek nearby and this year being an extremely high-water year, the pools are fantastic and refreshing.

The third and probably lesser visited location can be seen by everyone, for miles - The LaSal Mountains. I haven't been up there in probably 1.5 years and last Saturday I wanted to hike, but I didn't want the heat.

You can see the LaSals here, on the right, in the background. This photo makes it look far, but the foothills of the mountains are only 9 miles away (from our house).

Here's the opposite view - From the LaSals looking down at moab. I love the look of that razorback rock.

I was in HEAVEN. I forgot how gorgeous the wildflowers would be. The temperature was perfect and, if your pregnant, this is where you want to be - everything smelled so fresh and fragrant.

I've got some crazy love-addiction with water so when we got to Squaw Spring I had to stop and play in it - I could've stayed in this spot all day!

Mike pointed this cool scene out. On the next ridge it looked like Bob Ross had painted some "happy trees". They looked too perfect to be real - kinda velvety. This pic doesn't do it justice. Oh well, I tried.

One of my favorite parts of the hike was happening upon these cool critters. Can you see it?

It amazes me how animals know how to camouflage.

Check out these beauties

After all the hiking fun we went down to Ken's Lake and kayaked around (I practiced my rolls). Then checked out Faux Falls - which is REALLY roarin' right now.
The experiences of the day definitely got me more motivated to go out even when it is 102 degrees (and 92 degrees at 9pm -whew.)

In the Zombie Zone

2011-06-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

The advice comes from out of no where.
Co-workers I barely see on a usual basis feel the need to
pull me in their offices and pass-on the wisdom of their experience.
I don't mind it. It's fun to sit for a few minutes to gab, wonder and plan.

Then conversation always turns to symptoms and the list is endless -
Before I leave they usually say
"But no matter what, enjoy your whole pregnancy."
Believe me I'm trying . . .
but my most consuming symptom totally wipes me out . . .

I am ALWAYS exhausted . . .

Exhausted to the point that I have lost motivation to do anything . . .
except sleep.

I'm so demotivated that, I, the Recycling Queen have been caught throwing away my glass, plastics and newspaper. I'll never live it down.

But how can I focus on the environment when all I dream about all day long
are fluffy blankets, plush pillows and a California King mattress all to myself???

My husband thinks I'm trying to get out of . . .
everything (dishes, laundry, cleaning)

I'm sure I'll enjoy my pregnancy - as soon as I wake up.
ZZzzzzzzzzz . . .
(9 Weeks)

Test Drive Down the Colorado

2011-06-05T19:48:00.001-07:00

**(To answer everyone's questions - no we're not moving, the last post was just a means to an end)

It's Time to SUIT UP!

Mike bought a new kayak so of course after work we had to test it out.
My least favorite part of playing on the river before it really warms up is putting on the Moonsuit (it's really called a dry suit, but I totally feel like an astronaut wearing them).

There are tight rubber gaskets around the neck, wrists, and ankles making it feel a lot like going through the birth canal all over again.

This pic makes me laugh! I usually end up looking like this - hair everywhere. I've never seen what this looks like before. It looks like Mike is kissing a short balding man with a beard.

Nothing like a size small kayak skirt to make you feel extra pregnant.

SEE! Astronauts!

The other part that I'm no good at is putting the skirt around the kayak lid. After all this - I'm usually sweating and wish I was just wearing a bathing suit, whew.
But it's time to get into da wata!

If Willy Wonka really lived I think his chocolate river would look just like this. Mmm, tastey.

Good Times.
Another great ending to a day in Moab.

The Suspense is Finally Over - Decision Made

2011-05-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

So we've talked (& talked & talked) about where to move if we didn't get approved for the HRSA loan repayment through the government . . . (which we didn't).
And we both had many different ideas . . .

We're not going to . . .

What about . . .

Okay enough suspense -

Yes. It's true.

2010-12-12T13:35:00.001-08:00

Twas the month of December and all through the town,
Not a cold heart was stirring not even a frown!
Toy trains and plump snowmen were all blown up with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

When out on the roof there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the curtain and threw up the latch.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a rumpled red sleigh, and a very dazed reindeer.
With a squint of my eyes and a calculation quick,
I knew in a moment someone's kidnapped St Nick!

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name! Poor Dasher! Poor Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!" As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky. So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too. And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head, and was turning around, Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot. A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack. His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow. The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath. He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly! He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself! A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread. He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk. And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose! He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Purple People Eaters

2010-10-13T22:36:00.000-07:00

Halloween. My favorite time of year. Never have the colors orange, black, green and purple ever looked so good together. (Or tasted so good)

I’ve tried to figure out this ghoulish obsession. I think it is linked with the part of me that LOVES to be scared in the movie theater, but not in real life (which my husband STILL has not figured out and continues to sneak up behind me or lurk around dark corners – I might actually hurt him one day if he’s not careful).

I have a large box full of halloweenie things. I haven’t opened it since we’ve been married (2.5 years now) because we were always moving every 3-6 months. On October 1^st, this year, much to my husbands dismay, I pulled out the Halloween Pandora’s BOX!!

How I missed my friends!!

Home-made décor is always really fun.

These Jar-O-Lanterns were made from jarred artichoke heart containers. After washing I just poured some orange paint inside and rolled the jar around so the whole inside was coated and then let it dry for a day or two. Then I painted the black faces on the outside and used “rusted” wire to make the handle. Looking back, it would probably be better to paint the black faces first on the INSIDE (if you’re that good – I’m not, so I cheated) and then let that dry for several hours and THEN roll the orange paint around inside. I use the battery charged tea lights.

I kinda liked the idea of decorating my pumpkins differently

this year by covering them with black lace.

Use the leftover lace to make a creative centerpiece!

Okay, I honestly don’t remember exactly how I made this phantom face, but it’s one of my favorites. The head is a Styrofoam piece you can get at any salon supply store. Then I believe I took paper towels and dyed them with coffee or tea (I used coffee because I LOVE the smell. I got to smell it for hours since it was soaked into my skin after this project.) and let them dry. Here’s the part I vaguely remember – I think I made a thick, ever-so-slightly liquid sugar paste (just add a bit of water) and immersed the paper towels in there before molding it onto the face, covering it completely. Let the head dry out and it is as hard as paper mache. The hood-shroud is cheesecloth dyed in coffee also.

This too-cute-to-be-scary little guy was bought at a craft store

in the natural-wood craft section and then I just painted him.

I never get to do everything I plan, but that leaves more for the next year!

Oh, by the way, if you’re wondering about the layers of spotting on the windows that is all a part of the Haunted House effect, as are the spider-webs, dead flies in the window sils, and a light dusting of – well dust. I work on the effect all year :)

Polka Dots and Butterflies

2010-08-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Blogging is starting to feel like writing an article for the newspaper. Does anyone still read this thing? Is anybody out there?? I can't even remember the last time I wrote something. Sometime before Christmas I think.
Oh well, basically I've found more time on my hands since I've stopped guiding for the season. I didn't have much time to sew all Summer because of it, but I was able to get a few things done for my BFF.

This is my BFF: Hi Mindyn!!

Mindyn always has something cool to put in her mouth. Proof of her love for the color orange . . . an orange retainer. Oh no! ARROWED!! My Dad just disowned you Mindyn. He didn't see the tiny clover in the middle :(

This is my BFF and her HUBBY:
He's a Warlock, or WarCrafter or something. Very talented with a gun.
He talked to me about them in Cabela's one time.
While MINDYN is a force to be reckoned with - she's got fierce fishhook skills.

Last February I got some happy news that they were expecting (yay, babies!) I've known Mindyn since we were 18 and freshmen in college. We were roommates actually . . . ahhhh, the stories I could tell - hee, hee.Okay BACK to the baby! Shortly after the phone call I decided to make something for her little girl every month and send it to her. It's been so fun! Picking out fabric and creating something with a specific someone in mind, it's so much more fun than making them for the masses. (Okay, okay, so no one is knocking down my door to get to BabyDeer baby clothes.)

Here's a few of the things I've made and sent off:

Since she'll be born in November, she'll need something warm to wear!

Marsupial Pouches!
Holds everything you need on the go from diapers to boogie wipes!

One of Mindyn's favorite colors is orange so I had to match the pouches
with this oh-so-comfy baby changing pad.
I wasn't sure about adding the thick batting on this, but it turned out just right.

This last one is my favorite in the cuteness category. I have to admit - I didn't think of it, darn it all. I saw it on an ad and just had to make one and see if it would be as easy as I thought. I love how it's a plain bodysuit except for the one super cute addition, attached wings! Now I just have to think of what to make for a little boy. A tie . . . ?

I still have 2 or 3 things to make and send. A blanket, a rattle, and something else . . .
One thing is for certain, these things all turned out so cute and relatively easy now that I've gotten through the first creative draft, I need to make more to sell!

Ambucked

2009-11-25T20:00:00.000-08:00

I was working in my room this morning by the window when I heard a noise I'd never heard before. It sounded like an animal, but I just ignored it. It didn't sound threatening; it was outside; and I'm too busy to investigate (probably doing something VERY IMPORTANT like checking my facebook page).

However my husband came running down the stairs and said, "Hey! Wanna see some deer in the yard?"

I heard deer. Deer have vocal cords???

I raced up the stairs after him and we stare out the kitchen window as two more teenaged bucks bound into the yard over the fence. Deer bounding is a beautiful thing. I love to watch deer bound.

They just went along delicately pulling and eating the grass.

Everything deer do - they do it delicately. Even if they mutated into a 30 foot-tall gargantuan Deerzilla and went crashing through Manhattan, it would be more like prancing through Manhattan and everyone would stop in their tracks to watch the graceful, delicate sight.

Then one got bored and they started to this:

Gracefully.

Elegantly.

I don't know who won. They just - stopped. And went back to eating . . . delicately.

Until one of them really wanted his Momma. And he made that sound again! I was stunned - I had come to the resolve that deer couldn't speak. It sounds like a nasally. . . mwah. mwah.

Mwah. Mwah.

After three attempts at jumping back over the fence and losing his nerve, Momma answered him back and that was all the encouragement he needed to do this.

The moral of this blog: Facebook is evil and keeps you from having beautiful experiences in your REAL LIFE!

A Tidbit

2009-11-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

There is a tidbit about me I've only discovered recently the last few years I've had to live snow.

It's something I found I get a little pleasure from. So much pleasure, that it makes my mouth water a little bit.

Like when you're picking at a real big scab. (You scab-pickers know what I'm talking about)

I get so much pleasure from it that I try to find others to do it to. (But I only pick my own scabs. A girls gotta have limits).

It is this:

THIS is the wheel well of my car. As one drives around town snow and ice build up on the inside of the wheel well. In some cases I've seen it caked on so thick the ice almost touches the tire. (Insta-mouthwater)

I MUST kick them. I must!

I get SO much enjoyment out of kicking the sides of the wheel wells of my car and knocking those scabbies off that I have to do it to all 4 wheels. And I might get a little frustrated at my husband for kicking one or two. I mean, he knows I get some weird pleasure out of it - why take that away from me?
Is this too anti-climactic for you? Try it. Believe me, your mouth will water.

Sometimes, when I'm alone in a parking lot, I used to walk around looking for big scabbies to kick off. Until I realized one day I might set something else off and be sent to jail or something.

So now I just kick my own scabbies and my husbands scabbies. And sometimes my friends.

(This stuff just doesn't do it for me. I don't know why.)

Wintery Wonderwalk

2009-11-16T23:42:00.000-08:00

Mike's been working a lot (graveyard shift - blech!) or else writing papers, studying etc. So we haven't seen much of each other lately. But fortunately he didn't have to work on Sunday . . . and church happened to be canceled, so I dragged him away from his computer claiming "Husband & Wife Time."

I wanted to mess up all that snow out there and make a snowman, but we remembered most of our stuff is still in Moab - so no gloves.

We went on a little walk instead. The temperature was nice enough. I still wanted a snowman, but Mike wasn't about to get his hands wet for that.
So I made . . .

Wait for it . . .

PUFF!
(he's a snowgnome)

Easily confused with the snowman. They have totally different facial features though. And he's mini. Look he fits perfectly on this fence post! PUFF likes to watch the river. (don't touch it.)

We found a few other things on our walk . . . a dandelion snow-puff.

When you blow on it, it spreads all around. This was really funny because it also spreads on your face! (the pic didn't come out) and I'm sure Mike wouldn't have done what I asked if he knew that would happen. It gave me immense ruptures of giggles though. (He did however make sure I got a taste of my own medicine - I won't go into detail, but has to do with fistfuls of snow and underclothing.)

Oh yeah another thing I've never seen before - a snowsnake! (dooon't touch it.)

Snowberries.
I slipped and almost face-planted in an ice puddle when taking these pictures, so I'm making sure to include it. Pretty though.

Anyway, I was able to enjoy the beauty in this unsummery season.

At least until I slid on a patch of black ice next to the car and landed ungraceful and non-ladylike on my back - feet up in the air.

Canceled Church???

2009-11-16T09:09:00.000-08:00

So we had two snow storms come through over the weekend and just DUMP on us. (You can imagine how happy I wasn't) Thus, on Sunday, when we got up to get ready we were told - "Brother So-and-So called. Church is canceled."

Huh? They can do that?

So I texted members of my family to share the news.

And here is how each one responded. I think you'll find their personalities as funny as I did.

My original text: "Church was canceled. Too much SNOW!!!"

Meghan: "Omg. Why do you live there?? That's crazy."

Brandon: "What an excuse. Back in the day Mormons had to travel miles and die in the snow."

Dad: "Too much snow? How can there be too much snow?"

Sean: "So they decided to cancel everyone's salvation. That's cool."

Pardon Me . . .

2009-11-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to fix the computer problem. As all of you have experienced at sometime in life, when the computer connections aren't working IT IS A PROBLEM. And you want to vent your frustrations in a fashion that is atypical to your usual character.

So now I impose upon all of you the problem of patience.

You Cancelled My Rafting Trip??

2009-11-02T08:31:00.000-08:00

Sometimes Moab can have very strange weather. On this day the skies looked especially ominous. We had just driven our 40 passengers 45 minutes to where the rafting would begin. While the passengers waited for us to strap down all gear to the rafts and get ready for the trip a slight breeze picked up.

Moab is known for it's knock out wind storms in the Spring and Fall, but this was late June so we were probably going to be rained on, but we didn't think much of the "W" as most superstitious river guides called it. The main reason why we abhorred a visit from the "W" is because it almost always blew UP RIVER - the opposite direction we were trying to row. It was in those muscle-trembling, hand-blistering moments that I would always remember the words of my boss when I was first being considered for the job . . . "We have a great benefit package - free gym membership!" Very funny.

When we finished getting the boats ready and gathered everyone for our safety speech the breeze suddenly became stronger, so we talked faster and quickly started loading the passengers on the boats. Now I say "quickly", but if you've ever been privy to driving cattle (which I HAVE), oddly, you start feeling like a cowboy. Even though you're shouting out directions and herding them in the direction they should go, (and in this case even pointing with fingers and using head motions) they somehow end up in an area you didn't want them or just standing there dazed and confused.

Two boats were loaded with people and pushed off to make room for the loading of two more boats. The "W" had picked up significantly and was blowing the dirt from the banks into all open orifices, thus making it very difficult for everyone to breathe let alone SEE. The passengers all suddenly decided it would be better on the boat over the water where the dirt and dust wouldn't be such a bother. The effect was not unlike a very thirsty herd finally seeing the watering hole. I gave up and let the cattle trample. Usually the first two boats would be idlely floating just off the river bank to wait for the rest of the group, however on THIS day as I was busy with my European cattle proding for five mintues, I glance back to the river and see . . . No boats.

I lean over the river bank and look down river to see . . . No Boats.

I look UP-STREAM and see two boats full of people floating away and four inflatable kayaks paddling in circles or holding on to the willows. One guide was trying to row the direction of the river flow and was making very little progress at a physically tiring rate. The other guide was too invested in tying a few items down on her boat to notice.

We push our last two boats off the river bank and call out to the other guide to catch up as we start to row. The "W" was not to be shrugged off and ignored. In five more minutes NONE of the boats had made any progress and we were all working hard to stay in one place. The passengers in the inflatable kayaks (which we had advertised to them as totally safe, very fun and pretty easy to control) had looks of frustration and fear as they were pushed around the river surface. Hair was in our faces; communication and commands were quickly captured by the fierce "W" and shattered into tiny indecipherable fragments that no one could understand; white-capped waves blew upriver!

At this rate we knew we could never make it on time to the next ramp seven miles down-river for the afternoon passengers to join us. Slowly we rowed to the side of the river and let the "cattle" off and back into the buses. Boy, did they mooooo. "You mean you're canceling my river trip?!"

Many hats were lost to the river gods.
No cattle were injured in the wake of this event.

Sew here's what's up . . . !

2009-04-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

So as some of you know, I've been using up some extra time to sew cute and darling things. some are being sold on an etsy site and others were made just for friends and family. Here are a few:

Pillowcases - Easy and fun to play with 3 different fabrics.

Shoulder Bags - Way Cute!

Birdies - Just for fun.

Automan - For Meggie!

Baby Bibs & Clothes -
The bibs are what started this whole creativity thing.
Click here to view

Blankets - So soft . . .

It's fun. Keeps my hands busy and I feel like I've accomplished something useful (and profitable in some cases) at the end of the day. As of Saturday I'll be moving back to Moab, so there will be no more sewing (of awhile), but plenty of wet, wild, adventure!!!

SHEESH

2009-04-21T11:25:00.001-07:00

Oh My Gosh! I obviously haven't been on here in awhile since my background was still St. Patrick's theme on April 21st. Mercy me.

I'll change that right now.

By the way, I'm moving back to Moab for another adventure filled 6 months on the river. I'll be sure to post another round of Sticky Stories!! And if you feel the urge to come down, let me know!

BabyDeer Is Now On Etsy!

2009-03-20T14:51:00.001-07:00

It's the first day of Spring and what better way to start it off than with the new BabyDeer site on Etsy. Check out the Bibs and Bib Memos, Simply Spring dresses, Baby Coveralls, and Pajamas. Start off the Spring season right - skip the cleaning and go shopping!!

You can also view the items on the BabyDeer blog. Purchases are only made on the Etsy site.

Dog-Sitting

2009-03-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

So last night one of Mike's classmates called and asked me to watch her dog for her. Tony (the pup) couldn't go to doggie-day care because he'd just been neutered and had to be supervised. It took me about two seconds to decide and clear my calendar (because I do NOTHING for a living).

When she left in the morning (we live in the same apartments) I could hear Tony crying about a half hour after she left. I went down there and found this little guy.

Evidently he has to wear it when no one is around so he won't be able to get at his stitches. Immediately he starts whimpering and climbing all over me - he's still really young and I'm sure he was confused as to why he was left alone. I had to take that ridiculous thing off, he looked so miserable and could barely eat or drink.

thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou

We played for a little bit (like hide-and-go-seek until he felt more comfortable with me);hmm . . . she doesn't smell like my mom

I tried getting a good pic of him, but he's a bit wiggly and not one to sit around waiting for a good kodak moment so I got a lot of this. . . .

this . . . .

what's this ?(sniff) . . .

this . . . .

and this . . . .

What is this big black thing? (sniff, sniff, sniff)

I let him finish his food and then we went out for a really short walk - out of the complex and down the main street. Everyone loves a cute dog and this one is no exception.

I even took him to the post office with me.
He wasn't too sure about the whole car thing, but he stayed in his seat like a good boy! He got lots of attention at the post office, but waiting in line became boring for him.

Anyway he's taking a nap now and I'm getting some computer work done. Easy Cheesey.

For Those Who Are In Desperate Need Of Amusement . . .

2009-03-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

For anyone who hasn't noticed yet, I've listed the different stick-people illustrated stories in the right column of the blog under the title "Sticky Stories". Just click one and you'll go straight to it! The list will be updated whenever the post is an illustrated story. So if you've missed one somehow or you're just itching to read one over and over and over, now you can with no search hassles. It's all for your convenience, really, I'm trying to distract you from doing your work.

I'm Just NOT Waitress Material . . . . . . . . Part 3: THE UGLY

2009-02-05T13:45:00.001-08:00

THE UGLY

Obviously I've been procrastinating on this one. Mostly because it's pretty embarrassing for me. So I'll make it as quick and painless as possible.

As a sophomore in college I was looking for a small job. Nothing fancy, just something to earn a few more dollars a week for spending money. Mid-September I thought I found the perfect one. Actually it was the perfect one. The commitment was for five hours every night until October 31st. I was hired as a spook in a haunted house.

This was an easy job. All I had to do was show up, find out which ghoul I was assigned to be and the make-up artists would do the rest! I was a cloaked spirit (this one was my personal favorite because you were supposed to be silent at all times and just follow people and hide in corners. I actually made several grown men scream out this way), I was a mummy that shot out of a coffin, I was a ghostly prisoner locked up in the cell of the living-dead (This one required a lot of screaming, and moaning. The owner liked to put me in this position the most because I was good at it. He even gave me a cash bonus a couple times!) and a few other ghosts or ghouls that don't really have any names.

Anyway, it was because of the cell of the living-dead that I found myself in the throws of embarrassment.

There were always two prisoners in the cell. I was in there often and usually put with the same guy. Now for the first couple of weeks there aren't many people who visit a haunted house, so we had lots of time to talk and pass the time away. You can probably see where this is going. He was about a year older than me and pretty cute from what I could see on his drivers license (that was the only way to show each other what we looked like - lucky for me my driver license picture was pretty good in those days).

On some of those slow nights half of the staff, being bored, somehow would get caught up in an impromptu game of sardines, hide and go seek, or tag. Our "haunting" grounds was a lazer tag arena turned haunted house, so there were lots of places to hide. I don't remember which game we were playing, but I was hiding one night and my cell partner stumbled across me and hid in the same place. We were laughing and snickering - and then he pulled me in for a kiss. (What?! Where did that come from?) Did I kiss him back? I don't know. Maybe.

The next night the owner called me into his office before "showtime" and had me sit. I thought "Cool, is he going to tell me about another bonus opportunity or that I'm an awesome Dracula?" Instead started he started with this. "Do you have something to tell me?" What? I clearly didn't know where he was going with this, total confusion until - I remembered the stolen kiss last night. So I just said "About what?" I'll spare you the utter details, but he went on to tell me that someone came to him last night and said they thought they witnessed some inappropriate activity. I went red and felt like the big spot light from the sky was shinning down on me. "Well, he kissed me." My boss waited. Then squinted his eyes and said "He kissed you. He didn't do this or this to you?" WHAT????? Now I'm red-hot. I had to clear my name! I explained to him the games and the kiss, but was SOOOO embarrassed that people were thinking otherwise.

After making sure there was going to be no more riff-raff in his Haunted House, which included double checking with me about what happened and then announcing to the whole staff that he knows all that goes on in his arena and there will be no "fooling around". (Which by then everyone knew what he was talking about through gossip in the work place - so MORE embarrassment for me during this little announcement since only he knew the true story). We went back to work that day, but I never saw my cell partner again.

There it's out and it's done. No more UGLY stories. Don't ask me anymore.

I'm Just NOT Waitress Material . . . . . . . . Part 2: THE BAD

2009-02-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

THE BAD
So somewhere during my developmental stages in the uterus the chromosomal, double-helical, gene pool make-up of my body took a short cut and skipped a few stages and thus, I was born with two omitted abilities: 1. Growing an adult tooth on the right side of my mouth. (If it weren't for my tooth destroying dentist, I'd still have a gap there. That's a story for another day) and 2. The simple ability to be a waitress.

One summer while home from college, I felt super motivated to earn a lot of money and took on a second job while working at the zoo. I applied to and was hired by the Natural Cafe on State St. I loved the food and the kick-back atmosphere - it was perfect. Now, they don't start new hires on waitressing duty right away. You need to work toward that glorious goal and start off at the Smoothie Bar. What did I care! I didn't even know what a waitress was let alone what they did! A free meal every shift, the cooks loved me, the music was great, and I got to drink the "extra" if there was too much smoothie made. Not to mention interesting and entertaining people to talk to (one night I found myself serving Troy Aikman and some other guy who's name escapes me from the Dallas Cowboys at my little smoothie bar.) But, sometimes the cafe was short staffed and I'd help bring the food out to the tables. My first time doing this was on my third day there. I was taking different orders out to the tables on the front patio and each time I did, there was a table of 8 Brazilians who would wave over to me and and shout out "Numba 10? Numba 10??" And each time I'd have to tell them, "Uh, nope. Not yet!" and then big smile and hurry back in for the next order (At least I knew this much. Big Smiles can get you places.) Finally, their order came up and my manager said she would follow me out with the rest of the plates. As I approached the Brazilian table (and this is where my talent truly shines) I held out the loaded plates of food, or maybe projected the plates of food, or . . . I don't . . . know. I just remember heaving plates out over their heads and shouting "Hey, look it's number 10!!" And as my arms stopped extending, the plates stopped extending, but little salsa cups stay true to the law of physics and gravity and went off the plates. My Big Smile dropped off my face and ran away. All I saw were salsa cups - gone. As I looked at those plates held by my beautiful extended arms I thought, "Dang! Now I've made a salsa puddle on the floor and I'll have to get more." But, everyone was laughing! . . . "ok . . . laughing can be good. Wait. But, they're not laughing at meeeee." And as I pulled the plates away from my limited point of view, I saw it. Salsa drip, drip, dripping down her head, her face, and sliding down her neck. Then I heard my boss right behind me. "Oh @#&%".

Same cafe, different day, I went to pick up a business man's blueberry smoothies from his little table and . . . whooop! The slick layer of smoothie sweat (condensation) on the glass fooled me into thinking I had a good grip and goodness gracious that thing just lept into that poor man's lap and smothered itself all over his Italian designer Liquid Black pants and John Lobb shoes that cost him a small fortune (I know so, 'cause he told me so).

THE UGLY To be continued . . .

I'm Just NOT Waitress Material . . . . . . . . Part 1: THE GOOD

2009-01-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

For all you who've been wondering and asking . . . here's the update. We still have the little beasties. It's looking like we may need to throw out our beautiful couch (sob), a chair, mattress and bed spring - and of course move, again. But in one last effort to kill, kill, kill!!! (Sigh, that felt good.) I'm having the management hire a professional. So we'll see . . .

Now on to more enjoyable things. Currently I'm (still) looking for a job. (Wait, that's not enjoyable) I've gone around to companies and asked about employment, but some of them won't even give me an application (case in point: Home Depot, who a week after denying me an application, nationally announced the closing of many of their stores) and others tell me to fill it out on-line . . . and maybe they'll get back to me in 3 weeks. Sheeesh.

I was remembering some of my past careers and how much fun or how horrible they were. They could be categorized as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugggggly! (Seriously. One actually makes me cringe every time I remember it) So here's a couple that come to mind . . .

THE GOOD
The summer after my freshman year in college I applied at the Santa Barbara Zoo to be a camp counselor. I ended up loving the job so much that I continued doing it for three summers. There was nothing uncool about this job (and if it paid more than $8.50/hr I'd still be doing it, darn it). It was outside all day, a beach front view across the street, I hung out with 5-7 year olds (who say & do the funniest things!), there was lunch time and snack time, cool animals to look at all day, arts & crafts . . . I could just go on and on! One incident sticks out though. I was the all-knowing counselor and noticed a 5 year old kept sticking his finger up, and I mean way up, his nose. I finally turned to him and said "Nick, stop picking your nose." He'd pull his chubby little finger out and hide it behind his back. Minutes later there it was again - up his nose and digging around! Again I told him "Nick get your finger out of there or you'll give yourself a bloody nose!" to which he promptly replied, "But dairs a spidur in my nose." Riiight. The all-knowing counselor said "No, there isn't. Now hurry up or we'll be late for lunch." As we walked along the concrete path to where everyone else was sitting, little Nick sneezed hard . . . and there on the path was a little snot ball with eight legs. No Joke.

Another job I had was working at the Santa Barbara Wharf. This was back in the day before it had burned down and the Sea Center had to be rebuilt. The old Sea Center had an outdoor Touch Tank where we would show the public many different creatures the divers had brought up from the ocean floor below: small sharks and octopus, sea slugs, sea cucumbers, crabs, starfish, sunstars, scallops, etc. The public were not allowed to touch every thing, but as an employee I was. We were trained in how to handle the delicate and spiny. My favorite past time when things got too hot was handling the scallops (imagine a large clam) and making them spit water up from the tanks like a water gun! 80% of the time you hit your target.

THE BAD To Be Continued . . .

Must Have: A Piece of Dolan Geiman

2009-01-22T12:51:00.000-08:00

In an effort to find more home accents to follow my natural elements theme (water fountain made of rock, candle votives made of sticks, etc) I was perusing on Etsy and found the amazing artist Dolman Geiman featured on the homepage. A quick look at his work and I was very pleased. In reading a little further about the artist I became very impressed! Dolan Geiman is an artist very conscious of his surroundings and the planet we call home. He uses "rescued wood" for his collages as well as recycling many other items into his pieces of work. When it comes to being green, I try to do my part, but this artist is an inspiration! Here are a few of my favorites:

Lovebird Collection.
Rescued Wood Construction

Tree Panel.
Recycled paint, reclaimed wood

To see more of his collections or read his blog visit him here:
Dolan Geiman's Etsy Shop

Daily Dolan Geiman

Our Welcome to Colorado

2009-01-17T14:01:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here with a bowlful (yes a whole cereal bowl) of M&M's. I need to get back into blogging and the M&Ms were the only way to do it.

Okay, so we've lived here in Colorado for one and a half weeks and within the first 24 hours of being here . . . we had moved TWICE! And we're thinking about moving again.

Let me explain (and get ready for some grimacing). The first apartment smelled really bad of cigarette smoke from the carpet and walls. It wasn't until we had all boxes in the apartment from the moving van and some things unpacked onto shelves that we both had headaches and felt sick! (I later found out our neighbors would chain smoke all day and we had a connecting vent. Ugh.) We finally went to management and asked if they had another apartment available - we were willing to move all our stuff all over again, it was that bad. So, we moved to a different apartment room . . . 4 floors up. WHEW! Talk about a lot of work - Taking doors off hinges just to get the couch in and out (Twice); lugging the stupid couch up the 3 flights of stairs b/c it wouldn't fit into the elevator; unpacking, repacking, backpacking - Are there any unemployed Sherpas around here?

Well. Now that we're mostly settled and unpacked in our 2nd apartment, we can breathe much easier with only the occasional faint smell of second-hand smoke (as it turns out this complex is full of smokers. lovely. Really nice people though.)

BUT WAIT! The fun ain't over yet my friends!

3 days ago, a new challenge surfaced. I woke up that morning with about 10 little red bumps on my stomach and feet. Hm. That's weird. I checked Mike out - nothing. Throughout the morning he would tell me it was something I ate or touched that I'm allergic to. "But I'm not allergic to anything!" I proclaimed. (Now, you may not know this about me, but I've actually prided myself on the fact that whenever I went to the doctors I could unabashedly skip all the items of things people are allergic to and proudly check off the box that said "None". So please.)

My husband's reply: Well, you're getting old now and you're developing allergies.

Excuse me? Not, you're: 'older' or 'aging gracefully ' or 'gosh I love your hips and that new sparkle (grey) in your hair'. Old. Well, sweet husband, why don't you just drop me off at the nursing home just down the street and make sure to stop by for a visit once a week.

Anyway, I'm not allergic - I refuse to be.

The next day I woke up with - More Spots! Arms, stomach, legs, back, and feet at five times the amount. And now they're getting itchy! But still, my sweet husband insisted I was allergic to something . . . until he woke up with spots this morning. Ha! So what the heck with all the red dots? It got us thinking . . . was it the new detergent I used? Have we been eating something bad? (and my own personal runaway thought train . . . Am I really getting *gulp* OLD??). Slowly a thought came to us. We both remembered finding and killing little bugs that we found around in the bedroom and livingroom every once in awhile, but never though much about it - until today. We looked online, and whadduya know - they're famous! They're called bedbugs. Yup, we have bedbugs! Have you ever known anyone with bedbugs? Now you can say you do! I'd heard of them, but never seen them. And now I've decided I never wanted to.

So! We traded a smokey apartment for one that has blood-sucking, crawly, beady-eyed little vampires. Please click here and enjoy.

Good night. Sleep tight. Don't let the . . .

Johnson Family Photos

2008-12-11T20:17:00.000-08:00

I've been too busy to post (obviously) plus, my husband has been taking the computer to work with him lately so I haven't had the means anyway. We recently got our family pictures back from the wonderful and talented photographer . . . Mike's brother! It was fun getting together, especially since we will all be spread about for the holidays.

I can't resist that silly, grizzly man!
I LOVE YOU

A Shout - Out for Baby Deer design

2008-11-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

Check out this blog for a sneak peak at some of the up-coming products that will be on the etsy website soon!

www.babydeerdsn.blogspot.com

Blog-Fart

2008-11-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

The title isn't meant to be crude. It's just that I haven't blogged for so long (has it really been a month and a half???) that I can't think of what to right about! A lot has happened and I'll give you the extremely short version now and embellish later. Since the end of September I have (in consecutive order):
1. Found a new job as a waitress at my favorite seafood restaurant - Market Street Grill

2. Thus, I have been eating A LOT of seafood.

3. Gained 10 pounds. (I can only fit comfortably into 2 pairs of pants now - thus, I've been wearing the same pants for the last two months)

4. My car was vandelized by a drive-by pumpkin smashing at 2am. Small pumpkins are really hard I guess. Pumpkin guts and pieces of my rear lights were scattered everywhere. Oh, and I started not liking my job.

5. Called to teaching primary just as they were starting weeks of practicing for the Primary Sacrament Presentation. I got a part to read. I had no idea what I was doing. Get up, sit down, hum or mouth along to words of songs I don't know . . .

6. Kicked out of primary. I was only in there for 2 weeks. I guess they noticed I didn't know what I was doing.

7. Called to nursery. I guess they decided to start me off with small people. Oh, and I did NOT like my job.

8. Mom, Dad, Meghan and Dustin came to Utah for a week!

9. Took Dustin to the MTC. He's off to Puerto Rico in a few days!

10. I achieved my goal and ran 6 miles.

11. Spent Halloween with Mindyn and Clint! Carved pumpkins, watched scary movies and handed out candy. Oh, and I started hating my job.

12. I started riding my bike to work.

13. Mike & I joined a gym. We go about 5-6 days a week.

14. I quit my blasted job. I am NOT waitress material. I don't like working for $2.00 per hour (yeah, Utah is crazy like that)

15. I've been making homemade christmas presents which has turned into an obsession and crafts are taking up my time and lots of room in my bedroom.

16. Thus, the creation of a hopefully lucrative and fun side business of making/selling homemade crafts.

17. Oh, and I got a NEW job working at The Children's Place. I love that store.

The End

The HOTTEST place to visit . . . Merced!!! (Mostly because of the people who live there)

2008-09-26T21:10:00.001-07:00

Mike & I flew into San Fran. a few days ago and fake kidnapped my brother Brandon (he totally went willingly - it was just my idea) to go and visit our other brother Sean and his family in Merced, Yay!! It was fun to see where they live and hang out with Sean and Patty and hug, cuddle, and kiss my two nephews!! Lots of play and good times. Thanks Sean and Patty! We miss you guys!

Visit To India??

2008-09-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Mike is taking this really cool class right now called 'World Religions'. When I heard he was taking that class I begged him to let me tag-a-long. He won't let me - something about not me not being a paying student and school regulation and honesty blah, blah, blah.
BUT, I do get to join him on his school projects. Some of which are going to a service of a religion not familiar to the student and attending different cultural festivals or celebrations of some type.

The first one we've been to was actually a Hindu Festival that turned out to be much more authentic than I could have imagined.

We drove 40 min. to Spanish Fork, Utah to find the location. This particular area has a lot of cute, older houses that eventually gave-way to farmland and rolling green hills near the base of the mountain range.

Never did I expect to see THIS . . .

I got really excited at that point - a Hindu Temple! You cant get much more authentic than that for $3.00! The architecture was beautifully designed and of course the inside was very ornate.

There was a lot of music being played, dancers from local and national areas as well as a few from India. Many Hindus were present, most dressed in authentic robes.

We had the very tasty food that was prepared - I have no idea what it was. We were able to go through the temple on a self guided tour. We had to take off our shoes before entering the temple.

They had mantra chants and discussions open to the public within the temple.

Before we left we saw a woman working with thread on a man's face. I had to get closer to realize what she was doing.

She had the string intertwined between forefinger and thumb of each hand as was twisting while jerking upward. Each time she did this the man winced. She was tweezing!!

A Fond Farwell to Summer

2008-09-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

As the days pass I notice signs of Fall approaching - no matter how much I to try to deny it. So here is a recap of some sweet memories we've collected over the Summer. . .
(P.S. If photos are too small, click on the slideshow)

Jordanelle State Park

2008-09-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

Mike and I went to Jordanelle State Park over the weekend to visit with his dad.

His brother and fam. met us up there later. Mike was packing all this stuff and I saw my "puffy" on the bed ready to go (Definition of Puffy - basically a big fluffy down jacket. I call it my puffy) and I thought, "Geez, that's a little excessive . . . " As soon as we finally got there and I stepped out of the car, I jumped back in and closed the door. Ittt'sss frreeeeezzing-g-g. Mike just laughed and pulled out the puffy. I don't think I'll ever adjust to the changing of seasons after growing up all my life in an area that stayed a pleasant 75-80 degrees all year long.

The first day we went running and later flew our kites. I still don't really have any pictures of this. We now have 5 kites all different sizes (for kiteboarding). It's pretty fun. We actually don't get to do it as often as we like, which also makes the learning curve last longer.

The next day we went to one of my favorite places, Cascade Springs.

It's a bunch of water terraces and waterfalls that are created by water that comes up from an underground reservoir. It looks very much like a Japanese garden.

Later that day Mike's dad was called out to tow in a stranded boat from off the lake. So we went along and got a tour of the lake. I got to (drive?) the boat!

The last day Mike, David (Mike's brother) and I tried kiteboarding on the lake. We rented a jet ski to pick up the stranded kiter. I was driving the jetski around with David and we went to go get Mike out of the water. As David was pulling Mike onto the jetski it started to tip almost completely on it's side! We all tried to highside and level it all out, but at some point I heard someone slip and then a VERY loud "OOOuuchhhh!! OW!" someone was very hurt. It turned out that David had fallen directly on his tailbone. Howling from pain and taking controlled breaths he requested that I don't go over any bumps, which made us laugh because that is almost impossible on a lake! I did my best and we got him to shore. Shortly thereafter, he and the fam. packed their things to go to the emergency room. David obviously couldn't sit to drive, so he was placed in the honorary spot in the back of the car. I got these parting photos and was suddenly having de-javu.

These two are definitely related.

Mike one month ago.

David last week.

My 3's

2008-09-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

3 Joys
1. My HUSBAND!
2. My Family
3. My Friends

3 Fears
1. Being stopped in traffic underneath a freeway bridge.
2. Sky Diving
3. Loosing my pinky toe

3 Current Goals
1. Staying in-shape / Running 6 miles
2. Finding a job . . . does it count as a goal if I'm not trying that hard?
3. Learning how to play tennis! I just started a week ago - so fun!

3 Current Obsessions
1. Blogging & checking out other's blogs! Hellooooo, I am SO obsessed.
2. Running & weight lifting.
3. Eating!! I love new recipes and trying out restaurants from different cultures. (Thus the reason I need to have obsession #2)

3 Random Facts
1. I never blow my nose. (I just have never needed to, I know, it's weird. I sometimes wonder what my nose blowing would sound like)
2. I lost my last tooth when I was 19 years old. (Reason: I was born without an adult tooth to push the thing out! So eventually it broke in two pieces while chewing gum one day leaving a nice gap. So I now have three fake teeth to replace the one - stupid dentist sawed down the two on either side of the gap)
3. I love freaking myself out with a good scary movie.

Tomato Chomper

2008-09-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

Today my niece and I went outside to find

any plump rubies on the tomato vine.

I'll usually take her out to help pick the

ones that are ready and she's a great helper!

I was really happy with the amount of tomatoes we were picking

and that she was doing so well at picking just the red ones.

This is a pic of her just after sneezing on the two in her hand.

Yeah, gross.

Look at all those tastey treats! Fresh and Juicy!

She's also good at snacking while working.

At least it's healthy, so I didn't say anything.

But I had my back to her for too long . . .

Hey, where'd all those tomatoes go?!

Time To Move On . . .

2008-09-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

This One's For YOU Dad!

2008-08-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: The following photos have been displayed at the request of Mindyn Gunderson (McCurdy). The writers of River Nomads have had no part in and no influence or opinion (except that's it's SO funny!) of what you are about to see.

A retainer. Designed by Mindyn and made by her dentist. Just for you Dad :)

NOTE to MEGHAN!!

2008-08-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

Read the text!! Don't just look at the pictures!!

Lamaze and Thai Food

2008-08-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

Hello out there. I just got off an overnight trip with my friend Richard. We had a family of Italians and a married couple. Richard is a funny guy. To be honest, not too many people can handle Richard. He's a control freak and quick to start yelling at anyone and anything that gets in his way. But - He is an awesome storyteller and believe it or not, has a fantastic sense of humor.

Anyway, we're on this trip, Richard is rowing the gear boat and I'm rowing the passenger boat. At some point downriver someone asks me "What's for dinner?" and I tell them: Suculant Salmon with pesto, garlic bread, Greek salad and buttery corn on the cob. Many Oohs and Aaahs. Yum.

Richard and I both have been looking forward to this dinner for 24 hours. The day before we went shopping for the food and when we picked up the salmon, we both looked at each other and said "Let's get extra!!" After all day rowing it was getting to be all I could think about.

Around 5:00pm we had beached and set up camp and started prepping dinner. I was just about to slice another tomato when Richard comes up beside me, his back to the guests, and whispered to me "We have a problem . . ." what. "There is NO salmon." I froze and we just stared at each other for a full minute. I wanted to burst out laughing, but had to hold it because he looked SO peeved at himself for not remembering to pack it. Finally he broke the silence. "I'm looking to you for help. I don't know what to do!" And that's when I busted. First a smile cracked and then immense giggling.

The Richard! Who knows all things and always gets everything right, ROYALY screwed up and is begging me to think of some brilliant thing! I looked at what we had and a half hour later between fits of snickering and laughter, we ended up creating very tastey salad wraps.

As for right now . . . I'm trying to eat some Thai food I picked up. On the phone she asked me "How hot?" and I said, "Uhh . . . Medium" Which apparently means so hot your eyeballs sweat and mini-fireballs burst out your mouth. I'd run to the fridge and drink some milk to cool it all off, but I don't have internet - so I'm stuck at the library performing a special Lamaze. The kind used for super-spicy Thai Food. It's new. I found it on the internet.

7 Ingredients to Good Times in Moab

2008-08-19T17:41:00.001-07:00

My best friend Mindyn and her husband Clint came to visit last weekend. Really though, if you added all the hours together, it was only like a day and a half, including sleep. So we had to have fun quick. No problem. Here's how you do it:
FIRST: Make sure you go to Zax and take part in their All-You-Can-Eat Pizza. Make sure you each have 15 slices. One of each kind and then one more of your favorite.

SECOND: Find a suitable rafting company. I recommend using Canyon Voyages.
Then make sure you rent the smallest raft they have. We rented one called the Mini-Me. Niiiiice.

THIRD: Wait until twilight to start drifting on the Colorado River. Don't forget to look around and enjoy the scenery!! (Concentrating on your paddling techniques is over rated).

FOURTH: It is always good to become one with the river. Swimming is a must. If you don't surrender yourself to her, the river may take you by force!!

FIFTH: If at any time your guide seems anxious - it is your nerves fooling your perception; or if your guide is suddenly missing from the boat through a rapid - he/she is swimming or testing the water temperature. NEVER, EVER, EVER, question your guide. They are always on top of their game, so don't worry!

SIXTH: If you are on a time constraint or would like to take the rental boat back in one piece be sure to avoid all rocks. Sometimes in very rare cases this is unavoidable. In such cases, all boat crew must implement the well known dance "The Bunny Hop".

SEVENTH: Finally, it is wisest to time the trip so all rapids will be run during some degree of sunlight to prevent such mishaps as the "Bunny Hop", Dumptrucking, Flips, Highsiding, and Marooning.

By following these tips, you and your best friend and her spouse will have a rafting trip they will never forget nor reenact. Ever.

Oh Yeah. And on your way out, stop by Arches National Park really quick.

Yes, this super bright lizard was actually in the desert!

Love you Dyn & Clint!!!! Thanks for coming down!

The Trip My Parents Promised Each Other "This Will Be Our Last Time Visiting Fawn & Mike."

2008-08-19T17:38:00.001-07:00

My parents came out to Moab to see our first house! Dad had never been to Moab before, so I wanted to show him all there was to offer (Mom's first visit was about 2 months ago). Naturally I wanted them to experience it all. This is one of those times when I have promptly forgotten how those approaching their silver years might not be into mountain biking for 2-3 hours, white water rafting levels 3 and 4, rigorous hiking through slots and caverns for 3+ hours, trekking precarious paths just to find some old dinosaur footprints, Off-Roading while receiving free chiropractic care on the neck and spine in the backseat of a 4-Runner (sorry Meghan, but your car is in good shape), rock climbing sheer cliffs, and base jumping. So . . . we only did MOST of those things.

I had signed them up for a West Water Canyon trip, so on their first day here we got them up early and drove out to West Water. The trip was through the company I work with so there were about 20 other people going too. We worked it out so my parents and I could be on the same boat as my good friend Richard and we'd both row the canyon.

My favorite part about the bus ride up was one of the guests (from New Jersey) several rows in front of my parents and I, asking Richard, " So, are there a lot of mormons in Moab?" RICHARD: "Mmm, no. Not very many actually."

(*FACT* - there are 6, count 'em SIX wards in Moab!! That's plenty for a small town. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.)

IGNORANT GUEST: "That's what I thought because we've been here for a few days and I haven't really seen any . . . I mean I'm not sure what they look like, but you know."

I was this close to walking over to him and saying, "I know where you can see some." Then twirl around slowly for him. "Take a goooooood look . . . because we go into hiding after 5:00."
But instead, Richard just looked back at me and tried hard to suppress some hearty laughter since he knows I'm mormon.

The West water trip was awesome. Richard told lots of stories about the history and folklore of the area and the whitewater was very exciting. I made sure to get everyone wet with large waves. As fun as guiding was, the are two points that stand out in my mind as hilarious. During the latter end of the trip the guests can jump out of the boats and float down the river in some mild rapids. Mom and Dad BOTH took on the challenge! I would watch them and then talk with Richard and then watch them some more. All around good times. At one point Mom and Dad were floating separate from each other. A few minutes later I wondered, Where is my Dad?? He had unknowingly drifted over toward a whirlpool. Which then promptly sucked him under.

He came out of it easily enough, but only after 10 seconds of bobbing, swirling, and gasping for air.

The next unexpected event was when mom had drifted in front of the raft. Seeing a 16 foot, large, floating, yellow-thingy coming at you must be terrifying be cause my Mom's reaction was to yell out and grab the nearest salt-and-pepper haired male floating by and proceed to climb on top of him in order to avoid being floated over.

Needless to say, the gentleman wasn't my dad. And wasn't happy about his almost drowning experience on the fearsome white water - not because of a rapid (he'll tell his friends), but because some lady was using him as a junglegym.
It's ok mom, I'm sure everybody does it.

The next day we went on a pretty skilled hike in the Firey Furnace at Arches National Park. Mom and Dad had to move their bodies in ways they haven't been moved in years just to get through the slots, narrows, and climb over caverns.

They were good troopers. Okay we all were. It was hot out there (Helloooo - Fiery Furnace!) and water doesn't stay cold forever.

The whole thing felt like a maze. Mike was our guide with the most experience since he'd been through before. . . but I caught him using a higher source.

Here are some cute poses.

On Sunday, after taking Dad to the local movie museum, we drove over to a trail on the other side of town where there are dinosaur tracks imprinted on petrified mud. Dad thinks the whole thing is fake. You can see it yourself! Two prints of 3-toed feet above their heads.

On the walk back to the car, Mike, always the nature guide, starts telling us about a white bug you can find on cactus that native americans probably used for dyes. He found several on a bunch of cactus near by and called us over. "Hey Steve. take a look at this." He said as he squatted down to pick off a bug. We look over and notice a funny look on his face before he lightly jumps up and says "Ow."

He totally sat on the cactus behind him!! He pulled out a HUGE 3" needle, but there were tons of smaller ones still stuck to that behind of his. After making sure that he wasn't mortally wounded I couldn't help doubling over in huge fits of laughter. He had decidedly declined from driving us back home since he couldn't sit down. So, we stuffed him in the very back on all fours - the most comfortable position. Oh wow, I'm STILL laughing about this. The whole thing was hilarious! I love u!

Yeah, basically we just had lots of outdoor fun. I was a little worried we were running my parents into the ground with all the hours of activity. A couple times I knew they must have been getting tired because I knew I was! It's hard to keep up with my husband sometimes!

The Characters You Meet on the River!!

2008-07-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

I know it's been almost a month since posting. Mike and I had a great week long vacation (the longest I've seen him since April!) at the beginning of the month which I'll have to get to in another post, because TODAY I want to talk about the characters I meet on the river!

I've had some funny moments on the river and thought I'd share about the time I was french kissed on the river, the nudity on the river, and plain ol' laziness on the river!

We've been experiencing EuroMania here in Moab. From the end of May and up to this point we've had most of our guests coming from (in order of frequency) France, Germany, Holland, England, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Brazil . . . I'm multi-lingual now!! Okay so I only know about two or three words in some of those languages like "Go to left!, Stop!!, Swim here!" Anyway, not much representation from the home land. I blame it on gas prices.

So there's introduction to knew cultures and words (Like when the English say they need Lou, they don't mean a person - they want the bathroom please!! Where's the loo?? Yeah, that was a funny one my friend discovered the hard way.)

Then you're also exposed to cultural fashion and gestures . . . like the time I received a gracious french kiss from a man wearing a tiny speedo . . .

Yes. Clearly very proud of himself.

There really are good times to be had on the river. Some people are a little more open to "exposure". There's actually a designated spot for it. No, I've never hung out with naked people there, but sometimes you find yourself next to one without warning and if you're not careful you may become a nudist yourself!

Like the time I had all my guests swimming in the water as we drifted downstream. A rapid was coming up soon so one-by-one I pulled them back into the boat. The last one was an middle-aged, fun-loving guy who had probably played football in his younger years in high school - so a little on the big side. As I reached down to pull him in, my co-worker Richard in a boat next to me said "Oh, I've GOT to see this." and he lined up his boat directly behind mine to basically watch what he thought would be a slippery tug-of-war struggle.

With a count to 3 and large heave- ho, I pulled and leaned back as far as I could go and soon found that wasn't too hard! I had him mostly in the boat! But everyone was burst out in roars of laughter . . .
You know I don't think he really minded it that much, especially when his kids looked at me and said "It's okay, he's a plumber." Yikes.

The last time I was out on the river, I was guiding a paddle boat. Which means that everyone is paddling to make the boat go downstream. I used to like guiding this type of boat because it meant you got a break pulling all the wait on two heavy oars. Until this day. I was hired by Mike's river guide company Moki Mac to work on the Green River that day and was told the group was going to be from UNLV. That's Univ. of Nevada Las Vegas, so you'd imagine relatively in shape college students looking for a good time . . . NOT 50-65 year old, out-of -shape adults, looking for a nap!

They started off okay, but getting tired of paddling after 15 strokes is not going to get you anywhere. After the first hour I was really wondering why they had requested a paddle boat and was wishing I had the big oars just to get us to the end faster. By the third hour I was biting my lip from wanting to say things like "Uh, Cheryl, you have to PUT THE PADDLE IN THE WATER for it to do anything" OR "Susan, I know you said you don't like water and you don't like the sun, but since you're HERE, maybe you could just fake it a little!!" After we served them lunch, I actually heard these words, "I just ate a big lunch! This is too much work! I shouldn't have to do this." and put their paddle down. I was EXHAUSTED from trying to make to boat go with my one measly little paddle AND trying to coax the guests every 15 minutes to row just . . . a little . . . farther . . . c'mon guys, please? Just one paddle?

I Love My CTR Class!

2008-07-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

So I teach Sunday School to the 4 & 5 year olds and it is always such a riot! These kids say WHATEVER comes to mind. One of my 5 year old students keeps asking me where my daughter is and made a card for her. Guess I'll have to hold on to that one for awhile.

Here's a pic of some of them. This Sunday we talked about how important is it to remember to say thank you. And then we made thank-you cards. I told them they should sign their names so whoever got them would know who it was from - and they both started writing out their names by themselves! What the?! They don't even go to kindergarten and they know how to write their names!! Is that normal? Because I was blown away.

I think I need to put down my usual novel and start reading some baby books or Motherhood for Dummies or something. I have a growing fear that I may be in over my head when it gets to be that time . . .

See It For Yourself

2008-07-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

For those of you who'd like to see me on the river I have posted a section on here to tell you how to do that. It's listed in the right column of this blog under the section " Fawn In Action". I'm not always out there everyday so I'll be posting the specific dates I'm on the river. If the instructions are not user friendly, then please let me know. Enjoy!

TAGGED! (Again)

2008-07-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay I've finally found time to actually TAKE a picture of what is in my "purse" and post it. I can't believe some of the things I've SEEN in your guys' bags, I mean, come on, BRACES?? That was hilarious. Anyway, mine doesn't look all that interesting. Probably because I don't even carry a bag/purse. Just the wallet!

Okay so, WALLET:
$15.00
Library card
Buy ten get one FREE, Snow cone and Cafe Rio cards (must have foods)
Bank Receipt
Stamps
Random yellow paper
D. License
Bank Card

See Boring. I need some babies or something.

CATAPULTED!!

2008-06-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, so river rafting has been really fun because it's OUTSIDE and I meet new PEOPLE everyday. Some people are SO fun that it feels like hanging out with friends all day laughing hard, playing, getting into major water fights . . . And then there are some people who are a drag and you just sit there spouting out random facts about the surroundings (like 10-13 year old boys who are CONSTANTLY asking every 30 seconds - When's the rapid? Are we almost at the rapid?? Was that a rapid??? How many rapids are there????; And old geological men who are fascinated with the soil age, name, colors, rock era, etc. So they throw out all kinds of random questions. I actually had someone get in my boat one time and say to me - before he'd even give me his name, "Now all the details you can give us on the geological facts on our surroundings would be very nice during this trip." Greeaaaaat.) Not that I don't like rocks - I wear one on my finger! Okay, I don't care about rocks.

Whoa - tangent, sorry. Back to my story. So I'm really enjoying my job, the "fear-factor" has slowly ebbed away until I don't have butterflies anymore when I see particular rapids and wonder quietly in my head . . . Are we going to make it?! Oh man, I hope we make it! (Ha, ha now you know what goes through a river guides head - never try to read their faces, it won't show you how they REALLY feel in those climactic moments.) So I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful (and quickly I find I'm way too confident).

I don't have pic's of this so you'll have to do with these really cool drawings.

A couple days ago I'm taking a group of people down river and we're approaching the last one in the trip. The water's pretty high so this rapid - Rocky Rapid, has some great hits on the lefts side with large waves. It looks great so we're going in! (See, that's me sitting on the back end of the boat.)

After 3 really big waves and lots of splashing we're laughing and I'm maneuvering the boat to get ready to make a sharp 90 degree turn to the left, when out of nowhere I suddenly find myself FLYING through the air (Yep, that's me AIRBORNE)

I almost speared myself in the leg with my oar handle and finally landed on one of my guest's lap. Uh, Hi . . . Matt. Thanks for holding onto me. Everyone stops paddling and stares before asking "Are you okay?", "What happened?", "What WAS that??" I had taken us over a pour-over that I didn't see and while the front end of the boat went down, my end flung up and threw me out of my seat. That was . . . enlightening. Now I'm scared of that rapid ALL over again. DANG IT.

Oh yeah, and I've received a colorful souvenir from that adventure. See how pretty?

Le Chateau De Mike Et Fawn A Moab

2008-06-26T17:03:00.000-07:00

Some people are asking - the rest are wondering . . .
What does our house look like? Well, have a look!

Here is the front of our house.
I grew those roses myself! K, not really.

The Living Room!

The Kitchen!

The . . . Hallway?

The Laundry Room!

The Bathroom! (We don't have a shower,
we have to use the river on our trips.)
J/K!! Come and visit us, you can take a shower,
it's just hiding behind the door.

The Bedroom! Messy, messy.

Our Awesome Backyard!

Oh, I almost forgot - The Storage Room! (Not our stuff - pic was taken before we moved in) This room was the selling point for Mike. It's built-in and attached to the side of the house. The perfect place to keep ALLLLLLL our toys and then some- the kayaks, snowshoes, rock climbing/ice climbing/camping/hiking gear, cataraft, numchucks (sp) yeah - he has them, kiteboard, snowboards, etc. We did a good job filling it. Plus, I had room for food storage!

Le fin du tour du chateau! Hope you liked it :)
Au revior!

Guess who came to visit Moab!

2008-06-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

My mom, sister, and youngest brother came to visit us last week. I think we kept them busy the whole time they were here! They were able to see our little house and experience "A day in the life of . . ." Mike and I, with extra activities on the side like hiking the trails and rock climbing. Yes, they ALL climbed.

Mike & I took them to Wall Street just outside of Moab. Meghan is getting the 4-1-1 on how to harness yourself properly. She was the first to do the 5.6 climb in the area called "School Room".

Here's Meghan doin' the walk on solid rock. She was so nervous, You Can DO it!

Meghan reaching the summit of School Room. Mike was belaying her and the rest of us were just holding our breath . . . not really, we were actually making her laugh half the time which didn't help.

Dustin was next and unfortunately we didn't have any climbing shoes his size! He had quite the challenge climbing the rock wall in ordinary street shoes. Amazingly he actually did a great job and made it all the way to the top!

Next was MOM! She did a GREA T job, especiall y considering she's afraid of heights!! After a few minor adjustments on the harness and she was ready to go.

It was quite the challenge, but she mad e it all the way to the very top!

The first day of whitewater rafting, Dustin got a REALLY bad sunburn and had to stay in all day the next day. So . . . we left him with a bottle of Aloe Vera, ice cubes and lots of movies and went on a 4.5 mile hike up Negro Bill Canyon.

We spent a couple days in arches and hiked out to Delicate Arch. Lots of great scenery and a beautiful sunset. Mom got grumpy near the end of the hike (Drink more water!) But it was all worth it in the end, right Mom?

What else happened . . . Oh yeah, our dishwasher broke. Meghan is the greatest helper. I know, Right Meghan?

We didn't get any pic's of us all whitewater rafting, but it was really fun. I took Mom, Meg, and Dustin out on the Colorado River all day and Mike took them out on the Green River a few days after that. Meg and Dustin both rafted the rivers in kayaks most of the way too. I take credit for any skill they had in that. :) They did so awesome.

After all the hiking, whitewater rafting, visiting national parks, and rock climbing all the fun had to eventually come to an end. I miss you guys. I miss you especially Dad, since you didn't get to join us on this one. I love you. And Happy Father's Day.

Congrats Mike!!

2008-06-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

So he's finished all the pre-req. classes and last month turned in all the paper work for the application to our first choice in an accelerated nursing program in Denver, Co. and he was ACCEPTED! Out of over 300 hundred applicants the program only accepted 90 students this year. Nice job Michael! Yeah, I'm pretty proud of him :)

Welcome!

2008-06-06T13:33:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to post blogs for awhile, but who wants to hear about the daily life a work-aholic?? Ever since Mike and I met, life's been way more interesting and fun!