Entering the 30s

Happy 30th birthday to Josh, my dear boyfriend. He's not much for celebrating birthdays, but my family made sure to make it special. Last weekend when mom and dad were in town for Case's birthday, we had a birthday dinner for Josh and Case. There were presents, of course, but there was also some yummy food, all requested by Josh.

Mom made smoked pork loin. I made potato casserole, bought macaroni salad from King Soopers (one of Josh's fave), Shan brought bread, and we devoured a tasty meal.

Saving just enough room for dessert, we enjoyed a homemade cheesecake and a Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle. It was soooooo good!

Josh got some fun gifts. My parents were generous and got Josh chocolate covered almonds (another fave), a GC to Red Robin, and a Husker t-shirt. Now Josh can fit in with the family on game day Saturdays. 

Shannon and Jeff got him a GC to McDonalds, which is perfect. He'll use that up in no time.

I got Josh a pair of shoes he'd had his eyes on, some biking gear, a fishing pole, and a very nice tool box he's been eyeing for some time. All in all, he was pretty spoiled.

Enjoy your day, Josh. May God's blessings fall on you this upcoming year as you enter your 30s. 

Fun in the Street

 You go, girl.

 Perfecting the roller blades.

 Hockey pro.

 Uh oh, Kye found a water gun!

Get him, Kye!

Watch out, Aunt Dido!

It's Time!

The Ride MS is finally upon me. This is one weekend I look forward to and dread all at the same time. It really is a fabulous weekend, full of friends, family, food, and fun. But as you can imagine, it's the most difficult weekend of the year for me. This ride pushes me to my limits, both mentally and physically.

This is my 5th year doing the ride, so I know what to expect. This is both good and bad. I know how difficult the ride can be, but I also know how difficult the ride can be. I can prepare myself mentally for the ride by knowing, but I can also scare myself by knowing.

I feel prepared, though. I have ridden more miles this year than last year at this same time, and I feel in decent shape. Josh and I rode 50 miles last week, and I could have kept going. I felt good, and in fact, beat Josh to my apartment (in all fairness, he was on a mountain bike and broke the wind most of the way-and it was WINDY). A few days later, we rode 31 miles of hills, and I felt good after that ride, too. So yes, I can do this!

This year, due to the fire near Fort Collins, our ride has been cut down by 10 miles each day, AND we will not be riding Horsetooth Resevoir, which is by far the hardest part of the ride. Horsetooth is typically the last 20 miles of Day 1 and the first 20 miles of Day 2. It's a huge climb, and it's the part I dread most. However, due the horrible fire in that area, they have had to change the route. I am so thankful for this change! Rather than riding 150 miles (75 each day), the ride is around 130 miles this year, or 65 miles each day.

A few things to pray for this weekend:
1). Low tempteratures-As most of you know, Denver has been over 100 degrees for the past five days in a row, hitting an all time high of 105 degrees the other day. The forcast for this weekend is low 90s, which is great considering the extreme heat we've had.

2). No wind-We have had an extremely windy Spring and Summer, so please pray the winds are low. There is nothing worse than riding in the wind.

3). Our team-We are a team of 11 this year, and I am excited to have us all together to ride for a great cause. Pray for our safety and health.

4). Our purpose-We ride for Kari's sister, Amanda. We ride for my father, Doug. We ride for Dean's sister (another team member). We ride for Collin's friend, Mike. We ride for a family friend, Pam. We ride for many others who have MS, and I'm sure you can name someone who has MS. We ride for them, that one day a cure for MS will be found.

5). The fires-While this doesn't directly relate to the ride, please pray for the wildfires in CO. While I am glad Horsetooth has been cut, I am also saddened that this beautiful part of the country has been destroyed. Horsetooth is breath taking, and I am so sad to think of the destruction that has happened this month. I also have several friends in Colorado Springs who have been evacuated from their homes and know of a few who have already lost their homes. Pray the ash and smoke doesn't affect anyone riding.

6). My father-What an incredible man who doesn't complain about his diagnosis. I ride for dad, and I know he desperately wishes he could ride alongside us, too. But my parents will be there (literally) along the way, stopping at the stops, being at the lunch break, and cheering us through each finish line in Fort Collins and Denver. What an incredible support they are through this process, and I admire my dad for not letting his diagnosis affect his daily life, even though it's difficult at times.

7). My financial supporters-Thank you to each and every one of who has generously donated financially to help me meet my goal. I am almost to $1,000, all thanks to some very generous donations. May God bless you for your sacrifices.

If you'd like to visit my MS page, please click here.

KMart

During my first year of coaching Lacrosse, I showed up to our annual LAX banquet an entire hour early. I don't quite know why I did that, but I figured they might need some help setting up or something. I didn't realize it was going to be awkward.

Nonetheless, I showed up an hour early and was able to hear the parents talk. At one point, I heard the President of the Booster Club say, "Oh no! We didn't get a gift for the coaches. Can someone run to Target to get me some Gift Cards?!?!?!" A mother quickly stepped in and said she'd do it.

I wasn't expecting a gift at all, so that got me a little excited. I thought, "Oh,  how nice. A $20 GC from Target will be nice."

After receiving my gift at the end of the banquet, I was surprised to find a GC for $75! It wasn't to Target, though, sadly, but it was to Chili's/Maggiano's/Olive Garden/Macaroni Grill. I treated Shannon, Jeff, and Case to dinner one night and enjoyed the GC.

Last year, the girls made a giant blanket with our team picture on it, which is pretty cool. I also got a $50 GC to Dick's Sporting Goods, where was got myself a pair of sandals and a swim shirt.

Knowing what to expect this year, I was excited to see what my gift would be. I did my presentation of the girls, and then my two captains presented me with a card. I was so excited to open it. Finally, I had a chance to take a look. Inside was a $75 GC (that's a lot of money)! To......Kmart. That's right, Kmart.

I don't meant to seem ungrateful because as I said, that's a lot of money. But of all places, why Kmart? I have never shopped at Kmart a day in my life. Seriously. Luckily, there is a Kmart within a few miles of my house, so Josh and I hopped in the car and headed to Kmart to see how we could spend the money.

After an hour of walking through the store, we left with two bottles of Diet Mountain Dew and a bag of chips. Remaining balance: $69.

Not a single thing grabbed our attention. Nothing.

We decided to try Sears, which is affiliated with Kmart. We walked around Sears for some time and left empty handed.

We went to Kmart again a week later. Again, nothing. I looked at vacuums, thinking that might be a good use of the money. But I already have a decent vacuum and couldn't justify spending money on a new one. I needed ink cartridges for my printer, but of course, Kmart didn't have the kind I needed. We left again with nothing.

On the third try, Josh "agreed" to let me spend some of the money on him. We bought him a bike bag to put on his bike, a spare tube for the bike, and some other bike accessories.

On the fourth trip, we bought bug spray for camping.

On the fifth trip, we bought two pairs of sunglasses for Josh. This left $10 left.

We went back yesterday for our sixth try, and we bought a $2 needle for a ball pump. I still have $8 to try to spend.

At this rate, I'm never going to get this money spent. The even more awful news is I know Kmart like the back of my hand, and it's not pretty.

Josh's suggesting for next year: Hint to the girls during the season my favorite places to shop. Hopefully someone will pick up that I DON'T shop at Kmart. Ever!

8-5 Jobs

Now that I've had an entire week off from work, and with two more months of free time looming in front of me, I said to Josh, "I kinda feel sorry for people who work 8-5 jobs."

Josh's reply: "Yeah, I feel sorry for people who have to work eight to five jobs, too. Don't you just wish they could work one job and not eight or five?"

And that, my friends, is what I deal with. The laughs never stop coming!

Bad Food Part 2

Josh recently bought an Entertainment Coupon Book, which is loaded with coupons for anything and everything. Josh's new rule until they expire in August: We can only eat at restaurants that have a coupon in the book.

Deal. There's plenty to choose from, so I didn't have any problems agreeing to that one.

Last Saturday afternoon, we were hungry but I didn't feel like cooking, so Josh grabbed the coupon book to find a place to eat. We were looking for a brewery/bar, and Josh found one called Littleton Brewery. According to the map, it was only .8 miles away from my place, so we hopped in the car to check it out. We quickly figured out it was the restaurant connected to the golf course that's right behind my apartment complex.

Hoping we didn't need a membership, we decided to check it out anyway. We walked into the restaurant, and there wasn't a soul in the place. No hostess. No waitress. No cooks. No patrons. It was like a ghost town. Josh and I looked at each other. We looked around. No one. Josh started to venture into the back room when finally a waitress came forward. She seated us. (Hostess). She took our order. (Waitress). She cooked our food. (Cook). She cleared our table. (Busser). She was all four in one.

The food was awful. Enough said.

The moral of the story: If you enter a restaurant and there isn't a soul in the place, then you should probably take the hint and turn around to find a new place to eat. Even with a buy one, get one coupon, it wasn't worth it.

Bad Food Part 1

One spring afternoon, Josh and I were playing at the park.  We threw the Frisbee for some time and then sat and watched a game of Quidditch (yes, from Harry Potter-there are actually teams that play the game. The difference is they don't fly on broom sticks....they run on broom sticks). Anyway, we watched a game of Quidditch, and then I was feeling daring and wanted an ice cold beer.

We hopped in the car and drove to downtown Greeley (which consists of a whole block!). We parked and decided to walk the block to see what we ran across in way of a restaurant. The first thing we encountered was The Rio. Josh was impressed with the giant patio and suggested this as our resting spot.

Before going in, I warned, "Just so you know, The Rio isn't known for good food. They have great margs, but that's about it. I've eaten here a time or two and the food is not good."

"Well, you're talking about The Rio in downtown Denver. This is a different restaurant with the same name."

While waiting to be sat, I was reading an article posted in the entrance. The newspaper article was singing the praises of the food at The Rio. It also told the story of how The Rio came about, and I also learned that The Rio in Greeley is the same as The Rio in downtown Denver. Same owners. Same food. Same margs.

We were already being seated, so I left the conversation of food behind me. Josh and I were seated on the patio. We ordered cold beers and started our search for food. Josh and I try to share food when possible for two reasons: 1). It's cheaper that way, and 2). We both don't need a full meal-half a meal usually fills us both up. This time, however, Josh was hungry from our Quidditch watching, so he informed me I could get my own meal. Boy, I was delighted.

I settled on a smothered burrito, as did Josh. We placed our orders. We started our people watching, as the patio was full of interesting people.

It didn't take us both long to realize that not a single person on the patio was eating food. They were only drinking. Josh made a comment about it, and we chuckled thinking, "Maybe the food isn't so great after all if everyone is only drinking and not eating." It became our joke as we watched person after person order drinks and no food.

Our food eventually came, and we dove right in. After a bite or two, we looked at each other and both said, "This is gross!" Words cannot describe how gross it was. They only thing to help give you a clue as to how horrible it was is to say that Josh will eat ANYTHING. Anything. He is the least picky person I know, and he loves his food. Cold. Hot. Bland. Over spiced. He'll eat it.

When I could tell Josh wasn't even eating his food, I knew it was bad. I ate about half of my burrito and I was done. Josh, wanting to give mine a try, took a bite of mine and nearly spit it out. He said, "Mine was bad, but yours is horrible."

As several new tables were being sat, Josh and I then started to get the giggles as we "told" the other people (quietly so only Josh and I could hear), "Don't eat the food. No, don't do it. It's awful." Of course, we weren't telling people loud enough for them to hear, but Josh and I got a kick out of it. Anytime a new table sat down, we would quietly yell, "I wouldn't order here, if I were you."

Moral of the story: If you enter a restaurant and notice no one is eating the food, you better take the hint and only order beverages. The food is probably gross.