I could use a little silver lining!!! - August 11, 2010

James noticed (a few days ago) that when we turned off Little Blue, that the back light behind the radio still flickered on and off.  We tried turning off the radio before we shut down the engine, but it still flickered.  Hmmm.  Strange.

Last night, we stayed up waaayyy too late doing college prep stuff and downloading software onto the new computer.  Then I was a complete slug this morning (a cute slug says James) and James had to find his own breakfast and pack his own lunch while I slept.  And then I slept in even longer and didn't ride the bike to work. 

Little Blue's battery was dead. 

James has to leave his phone turned off in his locker at work, so I couldn't call James to rescue me.  We let our AAA membership lapse, so I couldn't call a tow truck for a free jump.  Who do I know that might be home at 8:30 in the morning?  Not our home teachers. 

But our friends Chris and Diana might be home!  I called Chris and he was not home, he was at the airport with another brother from the ward.  And they came, with jumper cables, and jump started my car and my day.  And removed the spark plug that feeds the radio.  Hopefully, I will be able to get home again.

Silver Linings:

• James thinks I'm a "cute" slug.
• While I waited for my rescuers, I got the dishwasher emptied, the washer filled and had time to eat some breakfast.
• Nice friends and neighbors who rescued me. 
• The car started again and I was able to drive to work today.
• While I made my commute to work last as long as possible (to recharge the battery), I went to the post office and got another small part-time-job project completed. 
• Not only can I go get my battery tested, I can also go get the tires rotated - multi-tasking! 
• Another reason to ride to work in the morning - the bike has yet to break down on me (knock-on-wood!)

Our Idaho Weekend - August 6-8, 2010

This weekend we went to Idaho for a special reason.  McKayla got baptised!  We have a picture with her in her beautiful dress, but it is in Kim's camera - I hope she blogs some!!!! HINT HINT!!!! Lucky me - she blogged - click here. 

These were taken at Sierra Trading Post.  After dinner we went out to buy a netbook sleeve for James' new computer and McKayla came along for the ride.  Can you see why she's one of my favorite shopping buddies!?!

James and I stayed at the old farmhouse behind the dental office.  The same house we lived in as brand-newly-weds.  But the house is a bit more active now - Christy, Tyler and Jake.  (Thanks Kurt and Carlee for a place to sleep and breakfasts!)

We got to visit the Dotys - Emma and Aspen showed me their scrapbooks (I'm impressed Kristen!  And thanks for optimising our new computer Clay.)

Aspen let me curl her hair for church - doesn't she look so grown up!?

And Emma has such a beautiful smile!

I'm just glad they let me take their picture!

We also visited Chickadee Bead Art and the Simpsons.  I had a birthday gift certificate for a watch (THANK YOU Jed & Maria!!!) and it was so fun to design my own.  I got to choose everything from the watch face to the beads to the spacers.  I didn't think I'd like the bigger beads, but when I was done, that is all I used!  Stella helped me string the beads and Jed fed us lunch while Maria made strawberry pie (again!) for Tucker's birthday.  I'm sad we didn't get to stay for pie and presents, but it was a fun visit.

When it was time to go, I offered to adopt McKayla.  She refused - said she needed to go to school on Wednesday.  I almost convinced Carter, but he's pretty excited for kindergarten and decided to stay home after all. 

Finally, we just loaded up G and G Price and left all the munchkins behind.  (Thanks for carpooling with us!)

P.S.  Happy Birthday Tucker!! (see Mom's blog for some Tucker pictures)

How to relax after three weeks of overtime shifts - August 8, 2010

Backcountry is having a much better summer than last year.  Last year, they almost cut James to part-time hours and they cut everyone to 7 hour days.  This summer, it has been full-time hours and then the buyers created a perfect storm of product all arriving within the space of a couple weeks.  James has been working 2 extra hours every day and worked two Saturdays.  They got caught up just in time for our road trip weekend.

James helping Tyler finish the fort.

Is this fort big enough for four? Christy, James, Tyler and Jake.

Christy: Chase me Uncle James!  Jake: Pull my feet Uncle James!

Don't eat lunch Uncle James, play with us!  Carter and Bree.

And when it was time to leave, we gave hugs in the driveway and loaded into Little Blue,  Bree stayed out in the driveway to wave until we drove away.  Then she went crying in to tell Oma, "That man got in the car and went away!"  (I think the favorite Aunt got replaced by the favorite Uncle!)

Every cloud has a silver lining - July 29, 2010

On Thursday, July 15 - The Outlaw had a break down.  Something inside the steering column was broken and so it was difficult to turn the key to start the engine.  James was at work, and after jiggling the key - just so - he was able to start the XTerra and bring it home. 

Friday 7/16 - unable to start The Outlaw again, so he took Little Blue to work. 
Silver Lining - I started riding a bike to work again and mandatory daily exercise is not a bad thing!

Saturday 7/17 - Jiggled the key - just so - and got The Outlaw to the shop.

Monday 7/19 - the shop has to send the steering column / ignition parts out to a refurbishing place and we won't get the XTerra back until Tuesday or Wednesday.
Silver Lining - Saving gas by only driving one car to work every day.  I get exercise and James picks me up after work because it is 105-degrees!!

Wednesday 7/21 - rode the bike out to the shop to pick up The Outlaw.  Yay!
Silver Lining - potluck day, I don't have to try to balance a container of pasta salad on the handle bars!

Thursday 7/29 - work day 10 of riding the bike.
Silver Lining - I'm not as saddle sore anymore, I have 3 routes I can choose from for the ride, and Utah has beautiful sunrises.

Pioneer Day - July 24, 2010

I had all sorts of hiking plans for today.  I wanted to get up early and hike a huge mountain with James and eat a picnic lunch and take pictures and get home and make us a yummy dinner.  Instead, we stayed up too late hanging out with Chris and Diana and Hudson and playing Super Mario Brothers on the Wii.  I might be addicted.

So I let James sleep in and made us a scrumptious breakfast with hashbrowns and french toast and juice and sausage and bacon and eggs.  And it was a good thing we didn't spend all day on the mountain because Jordan and Michael (& friend) were driving through and stopped by our place.  They needed to pick up some camping gear that U.Doug had ordered via James and backcountry.com, but I was happy for a quick visit!  I fed them tuna melts and they played video games for a bit.  Then the guys were loading the truck and started playing catch in the parking lot - with a weird football (rugby ball, apparently) - in the hot July sun.  So I took pictures from the shady porch.

Michael, Friend and Jordan and rugby ball.

Jordan - on his way home to California for the summer from BYU-I.

Michael - on his way home from EFY at Utah State in Logan.

James - hanging out at home on a very mellow, very un-pioneerish Utah holiday.  Isn't his 'football' jersey sweet?  Kathleen brought it home from her European adventure for him.  I got a "Nessie" T-Shirt.  LOVE IT!

Adventures from Biking to Work - July 23, 2010

I have now ridden the bike for 6 work days in a row.  I'm counting the ride to the auto repair place on Wednesday even though I didn't actually ride the bike to work, I still rode the bike.  (The Outlaw was broken - now it is happy again)

The long-straight ride to work was very uneventful, except I (successfully) attempted to ride without hands for awhile.  Changes up my posture and eases the saddle-soreness a bit.

I chose a new route home though.  Very, very interesting.  Mostly residential along a fairly busy street.  Over the freeway to a very busy highway.  There is a nice shady park at the beginning of my highway miles, so I decided to ride on the sidewalks in the park instead of along the highway.  When the park ended, there was a dirt path along the weedy hillside, so I decided to follow that path.

After a dozen yards, it wasn't a big enough path to ride, so I dismounted and began pushing the bike through the weeds.  When I started seeing luggage, mostly-full garbage sacks and blankets (see the photo below) along both sides of the path, I decided that I was in a make-shift homeless shelter.  I was fairly near a road and was able to push the bike through the weeds and get out of their living room.  I didn't see any people, so I don't think I disturbed anyone but myself.

Up ahead of me on the side of the highway was another bicyclist pulling a trailer.  Most of the time, I get passed by other bicyclists like I'm standing still, so I got super excited when I found that I was catching up and could pass him!  As I was passing, I asked how much his trailer weighs.  65-pounds. 

He (Phil from Ohio) seemed chatty, so I slowed up and once we got to a designated bike path, we rode together up the long, long, long, long hill.  He was pedalling from Ohio to California.  Except that he didn't want to ride through Nevada next, so he changed his plan and is now pedalling to Oregon.  Phil was going through some "life stuff" and decided to take 3 months and pedal.  Said he didn't see another bicyclist for the first 900 long, flat miles.  He really enjoyed Colorado and the mountains and was enjoying Utah too.  And on the way home, he was probably going to buy a train ticket and bypass the flat states altogether. 

It was really nice to have someone to chat with through the long hill, a bit of motivation - didn't want to be wimpy!   Good Luck Phil from Ohio!

Couples Date Night - July 23, 2010

Chris and Diana Elexpuru are a couple in our ward.  They moved in during Elder's Quorum softball last summer and we've been friends ever since.  Their son, Hudson, is in my nursery class and we're getting to be pretty good buddies. 

Last night was the last night of EQ softball this season.  Chris and Hudson picked James and I up for the game.  Chris and James played softball.  Hudson and I played on the bleachers and played with someone else's basketball and with Diana's old volleyball and with the spare softballs and with the bats....  After the game (we forfeited - not enough players - we scrimmaged anyway and then we got creamed in the scrimmage because the other guys were better hitters and so, so serious and the ump was obviously biased), Chris invited us to go to dinner with them tonight. 

Tonight we picked up Chris and met Diana and Hudson at the Mexican Restaurant in Layton.  They had a great coupon, so the five of us ate dinner with drinks and desserts and the tip for $40 total.  Nice!  We sat and visited for quite a while and then we went to the mall on a quest for a protective case for Diana's new phone.

The phone accessories hunt was not my idea of fun, so Hudson and I went to the kiddy play area.  And then, so did James and Chris and Diana.  (James is climbing through a giant whistle / slide thing - Hudson is that blur by James' head.)

One of the 'toys' in the play area was a mock TV station.  The News Desk had a camera pointed at it and a TV in front of it.  The camera broadcast the picture of the News Desk into the TV.  This is Chris and Hudson testing out the camera.

This is Diana, taking their picture from near the TV and camera.

This is Hudson and I being TV anchors and James being a fame seeker!

That's a wrap, thanks for watching the date night news...