Memorial Day - Part Two

After returning home Sunday night from Columbia, we decided to spend Memorial Day (Monday) out on the water. Daron’s friend Don came up from Goldsboro for the day, and the three of us loaded up and went fishing at Lake Raleigh. We took the boy’s two kayaks, and our little fishing boat. Everything was great for about 15 minutes, and then the bottom fell out. Big black clouds hung low overhead, and a torrential downpour soaked everything. Fortunately, I had thought to bring a little red umbrella, so the top half of me was nice and dry. I did have soggy britches for the rest of the day, but it wasn’t bad. Ohhhh, how they mocked me for that umbrella! Even better was watching everyone on the lake head for shore, and pack up. There was one couple especially that was fun to watch- They looked like they might have been early 20’s, and the girl looked like she was dressed up for a day on the Riviera. Big black designer sunglasses, little black sundress. She probably anticipated a day of being rowed around by Prince Charming, and getting some sun in the process. They didn’t last 20 minutes on the lake. He gave her a sweatshirt, and heaved the boat back on the truck all by himself. We nicknamed her Princess. All in all, we didn’t catch anything. Once the downpour passed, it was beautiful. A nice breeze kept things from getting too hot, and it was a very relaxing day. I even got in the kayak! I’m sorry for mocking you, little kayak. You were tons of fun!

I love the above picture because:

A. It's got my favorite fishing buddy in it.

B. In the back, you can faintly make out Princess watching Prince Charming try to figure out how he's going to get the boat out of the back of that truck all by himself. This is pre-downpour, in case you didn't know.

Launching the kayaks... See the black cloud in the background?

Memorial Day - Part One

For Memorial Day weekend, we took a trip south to Columbia, SC to visit the Crutchfield family. I’m not even exaggerating when I say that Jack is honestly my OLDEST friend. We played together as kids, and ventured into Kindergarten together. We both grew up in the desert southwest, and still only live 3 hours apart! I lost touch with Jack over the last couple years, and was lucky that he looked me up on Facebook! To all you Facebook haters out there (Daron), here’s a redeeming fact for you: Old friends find each other again, and good things happen!!**

We really had a blast. The spouses met each other, and Jack’s daughter Megan kept us all entertained. There was a trip to the lake, a picnic, reminiscing over pictures, a really nice dinner out, an even BETTER dinner in, and a session of Guitar Hero that still has my fingers arthritic. We have plans to go back soon- hopefully with less rain this time.

**the author cannot endorse any “good things” that happen when rekindling relationships with people on Facebook that happen to be ex-boyfriends/girlfriends. Yes, my mother will remind me that I smooched Jack in the back seat of the bus once, but we were five, and I think the statute of limitations has run out on that one.


**Yes, the picture is off center. That's what happens when the 7 year old takes the picture!
P.S. I thought Jack's wife Becky was the most darling person I'd ever met.

Double Take...

“My skulls have bugs..” Excuse me? “My skulls… I pulled them out to take them to scouts tonight, and bugs got in them!”

At precisely 9:30 last night, my dear husband informs me that his precious animal skull collection has been invaded by some small, unseen creatures. As the wife of a Wildlife Biologist, you would think that I would be used to such things by now. Mostly I am. What I wasn’t prepared for was the sad, dejected look that came with the knowledge that his little friends had been victimized so thoughtlessly. I was tempted to sing “The Circle of Life” to him, but I thought better of it. Also, I’m somewhat distracted by the thought that I can’t remember if he’s been storing aforementioned skulls INSIDE the house (along with the offending bugs?), or outside in the garage where I could care less. As I try to cheer him up with the knowledge that “they probably didn’t feel a thing,” I’m told that the nasty blue towel they were so lovingly wrapped in is now lying smoldering on my laundry room floor. Lovely. (How does one wash a buggy towel? Borax? Clorox? Straight in the trash? Yep, that’s what I’m thinking.. the outside trash..)

I’m also bothered by the fact that if Daron were ever detained for questioning, the fact that we have a fully functioning skull collection at our house would implicate him in about 2700 unsolved crimes. I’ve seen enough NCIS to know that skull collections may not equal motive, but they’re not exactly evidence that will speak to your upstanding character either. Promise me that you will all be witnesses for the defense, should the time ever come…

Tender Mercies

You know how sometimes when you’re feeling blue, a little thing can cheer you up? Last Friday, I received a surprise in the mail that made me feel loved and appreciated. And it couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time! I usually greet Mother’s Day weekend with an eye roll, and maybe a couple of feigned dry heaves for effect. Yeah, not very gracious, and nobody likes a sore loser, blah blah blah. But Mother’s Day’s are insufferable. (If you’re a birthmother reading this, help make my next Mother’s Day wonderful by giving me your baby!! I will make it worth your while!!**) So entering into the Mother’s Day weekend, I’m feeling blah, but I’m scheduled to go have fun at my friend Heather’s house, for a “girls night” party. Heather usually has me peeing my pants within about 35 minutes, so I’m cautiously optimistic. I’ve been wearing one of my favorite necklaces all day, and more than once lamented the fact that I didn’t scavenge further in the Kohl’s clearance rack to find the matching bracelet. Yes, I’m a bracelet-matches-the-necklace kind of girl. I like symmetry when I accessorize, and looking like I planned it that way. Which I did. And I do. But I digress. So ANYWAY, I’m headed out to the car to go to Heather’s house, and remembered that I didn’t check the mail. When I do, I find a curious padded envelope from Washington State. I’ve never known padded envelopes to bring bills or bad news, so I’m automatically excited! It’s from Shelly, my sister-in-law that was trusting enough to let me watch her sweet Lucy for a week while she was in Ethiopia. Inside is a bracelet, (I’m assuming from Ethiopia) that MATCHES MY NECKLACE PERFECTLY!!! I walk back into the house to show Daron my good fortune, and marvel at the good karma that brought me my super groovy new bracelet. (Not to mention a gift card to Target!! Thanks Shelly!!) So that was my tender mercy. A perfectly timed gift that instantly cheered me up. So yeah, maybe my baby parts are as useless as Paris Hilton, but at least my family loves me and appreciates me.

** I’m certain that LDS Family Services will not be impressed that I've resorted to bribery... We can be discreet, right? :)

Girls just wanna have fun!

Being YW President is a tough job. I'm not even going to lie about it. There are all kinds of things that I lay awake and worry about. I have great ladies that I work with, and together we try our darndest to run a program that's fun and fulfilling. The right mix of gospel and goofy. At the risk of being released (Hi Bishop!), I will say that there are some activity nights that you throw churchiness to the wind, and let them have some fun. After planning our Service Scavenger Hunt, we broke out some Jenga. Look at these faces... Either they are faking fun to humor me, or they don't get out much.

PS. Is it blasphemy to use the Lord's hymnbook as a base for your tower?

Hobbies

Some people like to kayak. Some people like to fish. What happens when you combine the two? May I present for you viewing pleasure, the inaugural sailing of Daron's new kayak. Correction: Fishing Kayak. Kayaks are for tourists and tree-hugging adventurists. Fishing Kayaks are for the outdoorsman who isn't content to just torment the fish from the bank.


Ok, yes. I know you're looking at the remants of river muck on the bottom, and cursing me for lying to you. Truth is, I couldn't be bothered to get out of bed for the inaugural sailing, so pics of the SECOND inaugural sailing will have to suffice. Anyone else notice Daron's need to model the life preserver? I know we live close to the river, but the odds of our neighborhood flooding are precisely zero. However, should the heaven's open and pour nature's fury upon us, Daron will have the good fortune to be bouyant in the comfort of his own driveway. The neighbors have already deemed us the "weirdos that don't mow," and this isn't likely to improve our standing.



On a lighter note, let me reminisce for a moment. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Daron's birthday at the Texas Roadhouse, where he was presented with his "Cough It Up For The Kayak" money jar. See how far we've come?



See Daron? I told you if you were a good boy, and saved your money you could really buy the plastic boat with your very own money. And surely you'll appreciate it more than if I had just bought it for you... Ahh people, there's a lesson here. After 30+ years, the boats are still plastic, and the thrill of a new toy just as sweet. Just exponentially more expensive.

Of one thing you can be sure...

Here we witness what I like to call the "segregation phenomenon." I've mostly observed it in dinner party settings, where some grilled item (in our case, kabobs) is on the menu. Like moths to a flame, the boys will congregate at the grill to make sure proper grilling protocol is observed. Yes, it would be nice if they would come enjoy appetizers with the girls, but they can't. Their DNA simply will not allow something to be grilled unattended.




Friday night we had the Lung's, the Rabideau's and the Curtis' over for dinner. We laughed, we played games, and generally had a raucous time. Notice the classy red dixie cups? We went all out. You can be sure when you come to dinner at our house, that we don't play around.



The photos above are a little tribute to Mark Curtis, and all the weird stuff he's eaten at other people's houses. For some reason, everyone blogs a weird photo of him either eating something on a dare, or in our case, enjoying some pineapple in a lascivious manner. Either way, if he wants to go down in 4th ward as the eater-of-weird-things, that's fine with me. We'll keep inviting them over out of pure entertainment value! Your dinner guests really should have blog-potential, and ours didn't disappoint! Thanks for a fun evening, you guys!!!