Disappointing...

Today I went to a charity dog walk. It was put on by our indoor football team and it was LAME. The charities were good causes, Children's Care Hospital and School and an animal rescue shelter. There were about 20 people in all...lame. The only good thing was that Cooper got to ride in a bus. A real bus ride for the dog!

Post-Sesquicentennial and other weekend happenings...

Well, it took a little while to recover from the sesquicentennial...I might have had a little too much to drink. Lesson learned, no wine after midnight.
So, Saturday was pretty laid back and I putzed most of the day away. Went to the dog park and the dog sat under the picnic table while my albino skin was exposed to the hot July sun. Smart dog. Then over to my parents for an evening meal. Wonderful steak and potatoes, bread and watermelon. Then I went to a Jo Dee Messina concert at our Fairgrounds, it was last minute, but enjoyable.
Sunday I mowed the lawn then attempted to wash my beloved Element by hand. What the heck? I can't remember the last time I washed a car by hand. Well, it doesn't look that great in the sun, but I also washed the entire inside and the floors look sparkly again. I also installed a bug deflector on the hood. She's getting ready for the National 'E'vent. I am such a dork.
Then another stop to the dog park on Sunday evening before coming home and vegging in front of the TV.

Monday I helped a couple of friends with some babysitting before heading off on yet another kayaking adventure. We went to Lake Alvin, about 20-25 minutes south of SF. I went with my same 3 kayaking-cronies and had a great time. The weather was PERFECT and the sun was shining. I didn't get sunburned!!
Then out for dinner with two friends and to 'Superman Returns'. I wasted $8...I thought the movie was 'Super-Lame.'

Now today, Independence Day, I have washed my sandals from the murky-urky smell they acquired at the lake yesterday, played with the Coopster in the yard, and have been reading off and on all day. What a life...
Happy 4th of July to all...

Pic of new grille and bug deflector on StElla

Happy 150th

Tonight I attended the sesquicentennial of my city. Wow, let me tell you, it took some alcohol to get through this whole deal. The attendees were interesting and I was the youngest by about 2O years. That's okay, it was fun, and I even attempted to 'cut a rug.'
My city is 150 years old. Congratulations.
I do, however, hope this is the only event I attend that celebrates the sesquicentennial.

Happy birthday city! I wore a dress for you.

Sleepy Puppy...

Cooper and I spent some time at the dog park this evening. Cooper is very sleepy now! He's soo cute when he's asleep.

Mother Nature...

Yesterday it was decided that a couple of friends and I would head to a small lake in a county park in Iowa. It's only about 1/2 hour drive and the sun was shining brightly without a cloud in the sky. Perfect afternoon for kayaking. We arrive at the lake around three o'clock, launch and kayak around for a bit. A short while later, we see dark clouds pending. Ugh, rain? How can this be? The sky was beautiful and bright and now what?
So, we go to shore and decide we better pack up. While loading the kayaks, the sprinkles start to fall. But not for long, it started to rain....hard. We hadn't even secured the kayaks to the roof of my wonderful Element and we had to get inside. The rain was coming down fast and it was cold. Then, the hail fell. HAIL!?? So, with neither of the kayaks secured and the wind swirling, it wasn't long before my friend's kayak flew off the top of the car and landed next to us. Crazy times. I don't know why we even bother! Well, yeah I do, because it's FUN.
With the kayaks secure, we leave the park and head for home. The drive was nice, the sky was blue and beautiful. The sun was also shining brightly, no dark clouds to be seen.
Mother Nature can be a real bitch! Gotta love South Dakota/Iowa weather.
Notice the pending clouds in the first picture! Argh!

Sam's Smile

Nothing in the world can compare to the smile of my nephew. He had some work done on his chair yesterday and he was a little angel boy. He had a great time in the play room with his mommy and auntie. I am so proud of him!

who's visiting?

So, I added that there counter at the bottom of the page, scroll down to see it. I know people are stopping by, so leave me a comment so I know who my audience is! Is that so hard?
Thank you.

What's happened this week?
Saw 'Cars' on Friday night. Really cute. The only thing I have issue with is that Larry the Cable Guy is the voice of Mater. He's funny and adds to the flick, however then he adds a "Git 'r done." Can't stand this...partially ruined it for me. Bummer.
I went golfing on Saturday morning, the weather started out to be just fine, but by hole 9 it was sprinkling. The guy in the clubhouse said it was going to be a 30-second cell...he was wrong and we proceeded to play the next 9 holes in a steady rain-downpour. Ahh, the love of the game.
Saturday night I had dinner with my family at one of the best restaurants in SF. Ming Wah. Love it, if you don't that means you haven't been there or you've been there and gotten sick. Regardless of your experience, it's a family tradition. Then we hit up the Sculpture Walk...a wonderful addition to downtown SF. My family is fun!
Cooper was "locked up" for 7.5 hours today. I was so proud of the little guy. This makes me think he can go all day while I am at work. I hoped this would eventually be the case. I bought him a soccer ball, it was only $3 at Old Navy, tonight we played in the backyard until it got too dark. He liked it and has already chewed holes in it. He doesn't seem to understand the value of a dollar.
I have officially registered for the National Element Meet in St. Louis. What a dork I am. I look forward to meeting other people that are obsessed with their vehicles. Perhaps I need to 'get a life.' Anyway, I'll be heading to St. Louis in July...to sweat like a pig!
maybe something exciting will happen this weekend, who knows. I haven't gotten to kayak since I got back from the Hills. So hoping to get out there again soon.

Cooper's friend Kota

Watched my friend's golden retriever a little bit this past weekend. Cooper and Kota were at the dog park for about 2 hours on Sunday, then back to my house for some backyard play. They chased each other around and had a great time...few pics

babies, babies everywhere!!

Met some of my co-workers...wait...friends out for dinner this evening. 3 of them have had babies recently and one of the others is pregnant. There is something good to be said for sticking out like a sore thumb. Some of the conversations I was happy to not be a part of. For instance, hearing about labor, needles, and lots of breastfeeding isn't that much of a loss for me. I, at this point, have no interest in any of the aforementioned things. I am okay with this, thank you.
I do care about these people and the little people they have brought into this chaotic world, but sometimes I have a hard time relating to them.
I know some women talk about having difficulties relating to their friends after having kids or what-not, but I do have to say that being on the outskirts of labor/boobs/poop/bottles/feeding times/not sleeping etc, etc, is okay for me at this point.
Luckily, we had $2 margaritas that carried us all through. I guess good people and good friends can combat any differences.

Summer begins today...

Today, Saturday, is officially my first day of summer. My school year ended yesterday at 5:30 and I will start my summer hours at work on Monday. This means part-time throughout the summer. What a great idea. I think all jobs should be part-time in the summer.
I want to do a lot of things this summer. I want to motivate myself to clean my house, walk the dog more, go kayaking, see some movies, read a few books, travel, and much more. Today though, my summer vacation is plagued with rain, clouds and chilly temperatures. I guess there's always tomorrow.

I made it there...and back

Well, I made it home all safe and sound from my camping experience in the Black Hills of SD. The trip was very fun and we had excellent weather. I was sometimes whiny and a bit of a pessimist, but overall I think I was pretty fun! Our experiences varied from good ol' Wall Drug to Hill City on Friday, Saturday brought about Crazy Horse, Wind Cave National Park, wildlife and an afternoon of kayaking. 3 lakes in one afternoon! The whole group kayaked on Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park as that is where we camped. Then two of us ventured off to find another lake. We found and kayaked on Center Lake and had a brilliant idea to kayak a third. Our final lake was Bismarck also in Custer State Park. It was a lot of fun and I hope to keep finding kayak adventures. Then we headed out on Sunday and ventured through the Badlands for a couple of hours. It had been quite some time since I had last visited this part of the state and I love the scenery and history of the state! I have quite a few pictures and have only posted a few...I would be happy to email them out if you are interested let me know!

1st Kayaking Experience of the summer

Took the kayak on it's maiden voyage on the Big Sioux River. Beautiful day, great company, some wildlife, family along the shoreline--very shallow water though. Got high-centered a few times. Looking forward to the weekend in the Hills and kayaking on a lake.

Oh, no. What now??

Yep, this is my new kayak. I decided that I needed my own. It's somewhat silly since I have only kayaked one time in my life**. I am jumping on the bandwagon as a few of my close friends all have their own. I didn't want to be left out and have to borrow a kayak. So, today...I find myself a kayak owner. It's a beginner's kayak and it's pretty stable. I am going to load 'er up and take 'er to the Hills next week too. I am excited.
Wow, I such an outdoorsy wannabe!!
**post edit: I have now kayaked 2 times. Today (Monday) hit the river again! I love it!

The Cooper and Iris show

Anticipation...and a little anxiety

A week from tomorrow I will be heading across the state on an adventure. Some friends and I are going camping in the Black Hills. Now, this causes me a little anxiety for a few reasons. The first being that I have only camped one other time in my life. Last August (with the same great folk) I ventured to Yankton and spent one night in a friend's tent. My couple friends are big campers and have everything one would need to camp, or so I am told. This is probably what made the experience fun, that and the weather was as close to perfect as South Dakota weather gets! The people I am heading west with are the type of people you want to do new things with. They are fun and easy-going. I don't have to worry about what they think or feeling stupid in any way. They are good people.
My next reason for feeling anxiety is that it's across the state. What if the weather turns to shit, what if I decide that I am a prissy little whiny brat and want to go to a hotel? Also, the bathroom thingy seems like it's kind of far from the campsites.
The last thing making me feel anxious is that there are going to be about 8 people. That's a lot of people to organize and manage. You see, I am a bit of a control freak and in situations that are new to me I kind of get uptight. I am not really an uptight person, but I have those tendancies. So I pray for patience and the ability to soak it all in.
I am so excited though too. It's been a long time since I have been to the Black Hills and there is so much to do. We are planning on kayaking, doing the Crazy Horse Volksmarch, going out for dinner, and mostly hanging out by the campfire with a beer. I know I'll have fun...I just have to keep telling myself that.
Say a pray for me....and for my parents, they are watching Cooper!!
The pictures are of the campsites we have reserved at the Sylvan Lake Campground in Custer State Park.

Spring into summer

Yesterday, for the first time in about three years, I went golfing. First off, I am satisfied that I didn't injure myself or fall down. I also made contact most of the time, that's right, I said most of the time. I did indeed whiff. Hole #2, I was expecting to hit into the water, but that didn't happen and I whiffed instead. Oh, well.
The weather was cold and windy, it turned to rain and about three hours after we finished hole #9, the sun was out and it was beautiful. Figures, South Dakota weather.
In the later afternoon, I mowed the yard and took a picture of my lilac bush/tree. It's beautiful for a short time.
On Saturday, I also took this picture of Cooper in his polo, it looks like PJ's but it's a polo T.

I suck...

at cleaning. I really do. I live my life, day to day, as a complete and utter slob. My house isn't ever clean enough to invite friends over (I do have a few). I feel terrible. I have a nice little house with a great deck and yard, yet I can't seem to convince myself that it is important enough to keep it presentable. I guess presentable is all I really want.
Two weeks ago, my sister showed up. Out of the blue. I hate that. I swore at her and only allowed her to walk through to the deck. I am embarrassed of the pit I live in. Everyone and anyone that knows me, knows this is how I am so I shouldn't think it's that big of a deal. But I do.
I always feel better after my mother lays a good guilt trip on me and comes over and "helps" me clean and sort through all of the shit I have accumulated. I always say, "I'll never let it get this bad again." And I do. I am lazy. I would much rather spend 3 hours at the dog park, watch TV, read a book, cruise the iTunes music store...basically anything other than clean my damn house.
I wish I were motivated to clean as I go. Some people (probably most) tidy up on a day to day basis so it doesn't get to the point that you dread the doorbell ringing.

Animals...

Here are a couple random shots of my animals as of late. They are a handful...

A little late but...

Went to Las Vegas with my friend from college over a month ago now, but I am lazy and never got around to post about the trip. We left Thursday and returned to town on a very early Sunday morning flight. We traveled with my mom because she has "connections."
Erica and I got to stay at a very nice hotel that we could never afford on our own. We stayed at the Bellagio and ate great food and watched the fountains whenever we wanted! Cramming a lot of sightseeing and beer drinking in makes girls a bit tired, but we managed to stay out until the wee hours of the next day each night.
We say the Volcano at the Mirage, the Venetian and it's extraordinary canals, a big fat Elvis at Barbary Coast, and the pirate show at TI all in one evening. Of course we managed to walk to shoppes at Caesar's too with our 1/2 yard margaritas in hand.
The next day we went through Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden, the Paris and then headed to the Hofbrau Haus of Las Vegas. The bier and pretzels were great!
Friday evening we headed downtown to witness the Fremont Experience. More margaritas and penny slots consumed our evening. On Saturday we were ready to enjoy the pools at the Bellagio and take it easy. Later in the evening we went to the MGM Grand to see Billy Joel in concert. He was great, I sat next to a lady that smelled like old perfume though.
Then we hit New York New York before going back to the room and awaiting our early morning cab ride to the airport. It was a great time, a whirlwind, but so much fun. The weather was perfect and the company was even better. Thanks E!

Roadtrip

Took a roadtrip this weekend to Rochester, MN. This was a long-awaited trip to meet the newborn daughter of my best friend. A baby. I can't believe my friend from way back when is a mom now. Today is Mothers' Day. Her first of many of course.
It seems like only yesterday I was hanging out on her trampoline, we would jump for minutes, then lay down, laugh, tell stories (gossip), jump a few more minutes and repeat. We used to stay up late, we made home movies, watched movies and ate popcorn. We were good kids. This weekend we had this very discussion. Our parents were lucky to have us! We were lucky to have them too.
We didn't sneak out or sneak beer. We just had fun. Good 'ol fashioned girly fun.
Congratulations to my best friend, a new mom. She's a good one, I know already.