Weekends...can they be everyday?

I haven't written in a couple of days. I think it is because when the weekend comes I have a hard time sitting in front of the computer for much time. So, I let the weekend go by without really documenting what happens. I must say I love weekends. Mondays get harder and harder for me to face. It doesn't even really matter what I do on the weekend, I just like being on my own time clock.

This weekend was very relaxing. Saturday we did some housework. We sat in the air conditioning and watched baseball. We napped. We went downtown to dinner and then to the Larimer Arts Festival. Somehow, both of us got pretty allergic and had to leave the festival early, but we got home and called it an early night.

Yesterday, we went on a 5 mile hike near Estes Park. We have this awesome book called Canine Colorado, and it lists all the hikes in Colorado that are dog friendly. It tells whether it is an off leash or on leash trail. This one was off leash. The boys had a blast! They are so good off leash-they listen, they don't go too far, and if they are up ahead they always wait for us. This hike was a bit of a challenge. It was downhill for the beginning, so coming back was almost all uphill. Both of us were winded. We stopped along the way quite a bit. The boys had exerted all of their energy going down the trail, so coming back up there were both tired. Stan kept laying down along the way. When we were done, we drove to Estes, had lunch, then came home and napped. We had the most delicious dinner with Mike's family (Sue and Chris were in town) and then came home.

Today...well, I am thinking about what a fun weekend we had. I am trying to call my students, get ready for a meeting, etc. But, I am really thinking...when will it be the weekend again?

Life and Love

Mike and I have been married for 7 years. Each year, while some people love their spouses less, I love mine more and more. So many people speak of the "7 year itch", and I feel like I can't wait to be married longer because it just gets better and better. I love Mike so much. I can't even put it into words. I still get excited to see him after work; I still enjoy spending evenings and weekends with him. He is good to me in ways I can't even explain. Over the years we have had to morph, change, develop, reroute, rework, rewire and hardwire our relationship, from our early days in Glenwood Springs, to what is now our life with the boys. I love where we are now in our relationship, and I anticipate the future with excitement. Here's to you, hon. Thanks for being so good to me.

LSD...or Dilating Drops?

I went to the eye doctor this morning. Okay, mom, don't get mad...I haven't had a dilated appointment in a while. I went to a new eye doctor, Dr. Cross, up here by Regis. He was a very nice man, and I remember his practice was one that TLC folks revered. So, I was in good hands. I do not have glaucoma. My prescription hasn't changed. Then came the dilation. I wandered around for about 15 minutes, looking at new glasses, while my pupils dilated. Holy smokes! I couldn't see anything close up and the world became so much brighter (I hope I bought the right pair of glasses, and I hope I didn't spend $1000 for them. Hmmm...) I went back into the exam room, and literally my eyes looked as though I was on LSD. He said there was no Iris left they were so dilated! My retina's checked out very healthy. So, I am in good shape. I made my way to work, and wore my sunglasses all morning. I couldn't see the computer, so I hope all the emails I have sent are kosher. So, if you see me wandering around inside with sunnies on, don't be concerned.

Camping

Mosquito bites lurking in random places. Still groggy. Dirt in my nails, still, after showering. These are all signs that I went camping this past weekend. Mike and I took the boys for their first camping trip. How cute, you must think. How peaceful. How serene. Well, I hate to say it, but none of these things actually describe our experience! But, no matter how tired I was the next day, no matter how cranky I got, or how much mosquitoes enjoy my sweet blood, I want to go again and again. We drove up Friday afternoon to Homestake Creek, which is outside of Minturn going toward Leadville. We had discovered that spot a few years back, and thought it would be great for our first family camping trip. We got there around 5:30pm and there were hardly any places left to make camp. We found a spot that was not ideal, with a huge family camping behind the trees in front of us and a lone man with a tricked out jeep to the side of us. We decided it would be fine, since it was so late in the afternoon trying to find another place to camp would be hard. We set up camp and went for a walk. We took the boys off leash and they went romping through trees, over rocks, and in the creek. This was one highlight of the night. We got back to camp and started to make dinner. The lone man came over and started talking to us-he was meeting a bunch of friends to go 4X4-ing over the Holy Cross City jeep trail. We made dinner-soup, bread and cheese (it sounded good when we planned it...)-and then had a hot chocolate before going to bed (another highlight of the evening). Now, let me put this in context. We had Chester and Stanley attached to 20 feet of thin rope that was secured to the truck bed. They got all tangled, inside and out so the night consisted of constantly untangling them. Earlier in the evening we had them tied to a stake in the ground, but when the family camping across from us and their dog walked by, that stake was history. We also took too much stuff. I felt like I was constantly digging through our plastic bin for cups, food, spoons, etc. When we did sit down to eat, I felt like the only words coming out of my mouth were, "Sit, no, stay" because the dogs really wanted to eat our dinner. And the dinner...it sounded good when I packed it, but that night it was pretty anticlimactic. Canned soup, bread, and cheese...people in jail eat better than that. Our hot chocolate was weak, we split a packet between ourselves and it wasn't very good. So, I was actually looking forward to going to bed. That was when it all took a turn for the worse. The buddies of the guy next to us finally showed up, it was about 10pm. They had a huge bonfire that we could see through our tent walls. Someone slept with his engine on all night. We were right off the road, so car headlights kept shining through our tent. The boys were still a little damp from their romp in the water earlier, and Stanley was a dirty mess. The night got cold, and the boys were both freezing. Chester was shivering so badly that at one point Mike had Chester's head in the sleeping bag. I remember at one point waking up (I woke up almost every hour) and thinking it was almost time to get up. I looked at my watch and said, "It's only 3:30!" Mike responded, "better than it only being midnight." So true. Around that time, the boys kept wanting to leave tent, so at one point I was laying there clutching onto Stan's leash so he couldn't. 5am rolled around and we got up. We made coffee from these coffee singles that were years old and tasted that old. Although we did bring ingredients to make pancakes, we decided to pack it all up and head to Vail, where McDonald's was calling our names for a hot breakfast and good cup of coffee. I think we left the campsite at 6:30am. We were all exhausted after our long night, but spent the morning in Vail and Leadville. When we got home, we crashed for about 2 hours. Why would I want to subject myself to that again? In all the frustration, it was good to get away. I think the next time we will find a place that is more secluded. The next time I think we will pack it all in backpacks. We will get the boys their own sleeping bags. I don't want to give up. Did I mention we have a 5 day camping trip planned for July? That ought to be interesting!

Vision Board Complete!

I made my Vision Board this morning. Since I don't know what my career vision is just yet, I put things up on there that will propel me toward thinking about it. I have a postcard from a friend a while ago that says "Forward in all Directions". I have some quotes. My favorite is from Harold MacMillan: "To be alive at all involves some risk." I have an adaptation from a scripture reading that I read at my Grandma's funeral: "A valiant woman is far more precious than jewels. She brings others good and not evil all the days of her life. She opens her hands to the poor, and reaches out to the needy. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. Give her a share in the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the city gates." I loved this reading-it described my grandmother perfectly, and to be like her would be an honorable goal. And, finally, I have pictures of my loved ones, along with the boys of course!
I like the idea of a vision board. When I look at it, I feel good. A great addition to my day!

Vision Board

Quick update on Dracula...the blood was drawn successfully this morning with no bruises to show for it.

Onto more philosophical things...I learned about The Vision Board during a workshop on The Secret. The Vision Board is a board where you tack up the things that you want to attract into your life and you keep it in a central location where you can see it everyday. My co-worker is making one for her office space and I am thinking about doing the same. On the board, I would have the word cancer with an "X" through it, I would have a picture of a mountain vista, I would have pictures of my friends and family, I would post words like "love" and "happiness". I am having trouble though picturing what I would put up there for career. I am in that phase of trying to figure out which direction I can go. I am hoping for being considered as an Advisor in the SPS program, but Regis is going through changes and the nature of this position may change as well. I don't necessarily see myself in my current position for the rest of my life, and I don't know if I want to be stuck in sales or expand into other areas. My goal before was to become an advisor and teach; with the new re-structuring though I don't know if this is realistic. So, I need to put on my vision board all the opportunities I want to explore and then look into each one. The Vision Board is a good way to keep goals in the forefront of everyday life. I had a classmate who had a mission statement for himself. It combined his work and personal goals, into some very prolific statement. Perhaps at the top of my Vision Board there could be my mission statement. Hmmmm. Better get working on that!

Needles

This morning I had the life insurance exam guy come. We got life insurance on Mike when we were first married, and now we are getting it on me. Last week, I had to tell a stranger over the phone about my medical history. Today, a young man toting a little black bag came by. He got my height, weight (yikes!), asked me personal questions, and got "fluid" samples. Then came the blood sample. I am usually really good about needles; I figure taking blood should be a basic skill of anyone in the health care industry. So, in goes the first needle. Oops, faulty equipment-the suction didn't work. Other arm. In goes the second needle. Huh, this is strange. This has never happened before....(nothing was coming out). Let's try the other arm again. In goes the 3rd needle. Hmmm....what is happening? Nothing is there. This is so weird. I yelped in pain on the third try-unless Dracula visited me in the night, I think I have plenty of blood swirling around my veins. I suggested that we let this arm heal and he come back another time. Nice guy, very apologetic, but I dread his visit again.

I must take this moment to tell my husband how much I admire him. Mike, I am in awe about how calm and strong you are when you are being poked by needles. You never let the pokes get to you, and even if it hurts you take it in stride. Not only that, but your needles are necessary to combat cancer, so the fact that you calmly get through the needles knowing why you have to have them is amazing. I truly want you to know that I love you and wish I could be as strong as you are. I will try, okay? I will open the door to this guy's next visit, put on smile on, and get through another blood drawn attempt.