The weekend part 2.......

Friday night ended in the wee hours of Saturday morning, it was almost two when I crashed on the couch of a good friend to catch a quick nap before I had to be up for my early morning hike. I was up by 4 am and headed out to the Shenandoah Valley to meet Ol’ Rag. I thought this would be a fun hike and had been planning on it all week. I just hadn’t intended to do it on an empty stomach with only 2 hours of sleep. Lol!
Eddie, Parker, Marty, Julie, Leslyn, Millie, and Bonnie allowed me to join them as they headed up the mountain. It is lucky that I enjoy taking pictures….because it gave me an excuse to stop every 10 minutes. Lol! I have attached a few of them here. I can’t post them all. Half of them I can’t even use due to the fact that my hands were shaking to hard to keep the camera steady, but it allowed me the chance to rest. What a lazy bum I am. I am determined, that shall change.

The last third of the hike up the mountain was not really hiking, but not classified as rock climbing, either. It has been described to me as bouldering, and it is my favorite thing in the world! There is something about climbing through the massive boulders that gives me a thrill. Finding a way to climb over the rocks, through the caves, and across the crevices, takes me back to my jungle gym days.

It was an enjoyable day.....We couldn’t have asked for better weather, with blue skies and a fabulous light breeze. The company was enjoyable, and the exercise was good. I fell pretty good that I was able to make it. Even if I told Parker and Marty that I wasn't going to. Lol! Those false summits are cruel and unusual punishment.

The hike down was much quicker, even if the trail was now crowed and we bottle-necked more then once. By the time we reached the cars our mountain was covered with boy scouts, troubled teens groups, many others. So while I hated Parker for making us get up at the crack of dawn, as we came down I was grateful for his foresight.

I must give a special thanks to Marty and Parker who didn’t leave me behind even though I know they wanted to travel ahead. Especially when we were in the boulders, I know it is not safe to climb when you are that tired, so thanks for making sure I didn’t break my neck! I promise not to do it again. :)

And a final humongous thanks to Sarah….who got me home…after the hike and the metro home, I was unsure how I was going to make the 10 minute walk home, thanks for talking me through it.













As a final note….I got home at 3pm and was asleep by 5 pm….I remember nothing until 7:30 the next morning. Now it is 2 days later and the only thing that hurts are my knees. Really, I am getting old! Lol!









So that was my weekend. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

The weekend part 1.......

I started a blog yesterday by hand, but I have decided to not to use that and start over.
This has been a long weekend for me. As my previous blog noted, Parker called it a test of my endurance. I guess it just goes to show that I am nothing more then a whiner. Lol! I am obviously not good at the whole at the enduring thing.



Friday was a busy day of interviews at the office, which ran almost on time, (snaps for me). After a rushed hour of preparation that evening I joined Scott and Boo at the Naval Academy Spring Formal. The hair cut and new top were fabulous and the music was pretty great.



As the night progressed, I accepted my age and sat out most of the last dances. This gave me the opportunity to sit and chat with Anne, Tara, and Cherie, while Scott and Boo tore it up with various partners on the dance floor.Boo the queen of the camera that night captured these of the night…

Now this is a sad thing.......

So I found this article on Sherpa's Blog. Eastern Market has been one of my favorite places to visit and I have gone on multiple occasions. I sincerely hope that the building can be rebuilt and preserved for another 100 years.

Parker called it a test of my endurance...

I firmly believe that it was a test of my intelligence (or should I say stupidity). But I made it through the 3 hour dance(Fri) and the 6+ hour hike(Sat), on only 2 hours of sleep, a McDonald's Happy Meal and a slim fast bar.
I am still sore, but it is wearing off. I think I got some good shots from the hike but we will have to see once I download them.

Hope everyone else has a good weekend. I will try to blog with pictures tonight.

It's that time of year again

BEFORE

So yesterday it hit...the over whelming need to cut my hair. Poor Kim had to sit quietly (or not so qiuetly) as I hounded my hair stylist for an appointment. I impatiently waited till today at Noon. The back is a little shorter than I wanted but over all I am ver pleased. AND it is still wash and go! I know...I am spoiled.....what can I say. *sigh* all is right in my world again.

AFTER:

On my mind.....

Number 5 just cries a river a minute
7 wants to tie you up and drown you in it
Yeah, 14 just wants to say so long, bygones
32 wants to do things to you that'll make you blush
10 would key the El Camino that you love so much
And there ain't nobody wants to mess with 23
Oh, lucky 4 you tonight I'm just me

Shedaisy”Lucky 4 You (Tonight I’m Just Me)

I dug my key into the side of his pretty little suped up 4 wheel drive,
carved my name into his leather seats.
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights,
slashed a hole in all 4 tires.
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats.

Carrie Underwood “Before he Cheats”

Right away Mary Anne flew in from Atlanta
On a red eye midnight flight
She held Wanda's hand as they
worked out a plan
And it didn't take 'em long to decide

That Earl had to die
Goodbye Earl
Those black-eyed peas
They tasted all right to me Earl
You're feelin' weak
Why don't you lay down
and sleep Earl
Ain't it dark
Wrapped up in that tarp Earl?

Dixie Chicks “Goodbye Earl”

Oh yeah
Ready ready ready ready...ready to run
All I'm ready to do is have some fun
What's all this talk about love

Dixie Chicks “Ready To Run”

For some reason, these types of songs have been on my mind lately. These are just the chorus of a few of them; I didn’t want to bore y’all with the full lyrics. But one would think I was in a ‘man hating’ mood…Lol!
I’m not. I Promise! I just like these songs…

Which makes me wonder…

When did I get so jaded?

You know some of them will always be there.....

I got this note from the universe today...but by the time I got to the feather boa part I knew it was really from Steph...Lol!

I do believe it should comfort you to know, Rachel, that whenever you face a fork in the road of life, no matter which path you choose, I'll be there in all my glory.

(Probably moon walking, with a long feather boa trailing in the breeze...)

I have thought about you...

I have actually thought about blogging quite a few times this week. I have even taken pictures for the Diner's Blog. But I haven't blogged. I haven't talked about the Cherry Blossom Festival, or Perry's Un-Birthday, or Game Night, or Stake Women's Conference, or the tragedy at VT...... There is so much to say and no idea how to say it all. I have started blog after blog in my head only to be side tracked before I get it to my laptop.

Sometime soon I will sit down with my thoughts and my camera and write....but probably not tonight(visiting teaching)...maybe not even tomorrow (working late) or the next day (formal dance at the naval academy...if we are still going) and Sat is a 4 am hike of Old Rag (if I can get a ride) so probably not that day either.

Grrr.....when did life get so full?

There’s a sad sort of ‘chirping’…..

So I skipped Church today. I feel a little guilty about it, but only to some extent.

1) Allergies have taken over and I have no voice; I can’t tell if it is better then yesterday or not. The parade yesterday was fun. I ran around like crazy. Somehow there was a snafu with seating arrangements and I was elected to help fix it. I never know how it happens, but often when I volunteer I go from being a lackey to being in charge of people. It made me laugh every time I was told to get one of my volunteers to handle a problem. Like any one listened to me. Lol! But sure enough I could always find some one to take care of what was needed. I think I was lucky to have been losing my voice. It made people more sympathetic to my situation. Especially when I had to tell that that we were sorry but no more chairs were coming.

2) The smoke detector in our upstairs hallway has taken to chirping every couple of minutes. I have taken it apart, called my dad and Gina’s dad, and cannot figure out how to make it stop. I know what you are thinking and yes I know that chirping indicates a “low battery”. The problem is that our smoke detectors are “wired in” to our AC….which I don’t really know what that means other then that there is NO battery. I have looked. I have taken off the cover I have removed the plate from the ceiling….THERE IS NO BATTERY! Sorry, every one keeps telling me to change the battery. Last night after searching online for information to no avail we finally emailed our landlord. He has until noon today to get back to me before we start calling him. He will be on psycho dial until we get this fixed. (**As a side note: we would have turned off the power to the smoke detectors if we could have found our breaker box. We are still not sure where that is either. Lol!**)

So to add to the no voice I have had very little sleep and what I did have was filled with odd chirping noises….Any one got a couch in a quiet house I could crash on for a couple of hours? Lol!

***UPDATE***
So we found the breaker box and since we don't know which switch to flip we shut down the power to the whole house and turned it all back on. This did stop the chirping for quite a while. Unfortunately the chirping has started again. We don't know what to do other then flipping the breaker again. Any one know how long we are going to have to do this?

**************

Mid-afternoon shower....

As I sat in my office this afternoon, trying to find something to do to avoid work, I heard the telltale signs of a storm outside. Excitedly, I ran to the nearest conference room to investigate. Ladies and Gentleman …...Finally......It is raining! I love it. I had to take a picture. I love the way the water looks on the windows.

I hope I get to use my new umbrella tonight on the way to dinner.

Calling Dr. Jones...

A couple months ago Tara added this song to her blog play list.
I immediately downloaded it to my iPod and have since listened to it frequently.
It gets stuck in my head and will not leave.
Oddly enough, every time I hear it I think of Boo and her desire for a certain Doctor Jones.




So this is for Bond Girl; hopefully Dr. Jones can cure you! Lol!

Just a bit of light reading...

Last night was typical of many nights in my life. I watched a movie with some roommates and friends, spent some time talking on the phone to various friends, and then retreated to my room to read. There was laughter and games to be had with the group in my dining room but I was in a mood to read. I have learned from previous experience that people feel obligated to include me if I read while they are playing in the same room. If I decline the invitation, they feel as if they have to continue to invite me, to make sure I do not feel left out. They do not understand that I am completely comfortable….and dare I say happy…..to just listen to the sounds around me and enjoy what ever I happen to be reading. I know that at any moment I could join in the laughter and games but there was no requirement that I do so. Last night, so as not to disrupt the fun, I took myself off to my room as I just wanted to sit and read.

I read a book that I had purchased while I was working nights at B & N. I had sobbed my way through Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom and had decided to try his earlier work of The Five People You Meet In Heaven. This is the sweet story of the death of Eddie Maintenance, the maintenance man at Ruby Pier (an amusement park). It discusses his death, his life, and his path to Heaven. I was especially touched by a line of this book, when discussing the lives that we lead it said “…each affects the other, and the other affects the next, and the world is full of stories but the stories are all one.” I might not agree with this version of “Heaven” but the book made quite an impact on my thinking.

This morning I picked up the play Pygmalion. Many months ago in a small used bookstore in Texas I came across this play by Bernard Shaw. My older brother, Ralph, told me that I should read it, that I would recognize the story. I flipped through it and immediately recognized the story of Miss Doolittle and Professor Higgins. I refused to purchase this book, as I have never liked the ending of My Fair Lady. Ralph explained that he disliked the play because it had a different ending, that Eliza didn’t go back to live with the Professor. This peaked my interest and since the book only cost me 50 cents I figured I would take it home to read. It has taken me forever to find the time, but I can’t say that I don’t like the play any more then I like the musical…the words of the musical were taken directly from the play entirely. I could even tell where to add the musical numbers. I am unsure if I like this ending any better then I like the ending of the movie.

What do these 2 books have in common? Why am I writing of them today? Both of these stories are considered “romantic” due to the transformation of the main characters; Eliza, from lowly flower girl to Lady and Eddie as he comes to realize the secret of Heaven.
But what romance can be found in the story of Eliza….I find her story sad, without the love and acceptance that I would find necessary in my life. She changes from the innocent girl of the gutter to a Lady of the world, knowing she is never going to fit in to the world that she has been brought in to. She lives out her life, with “some consideration” from Colonel Pickering and the complete adoration of Freddy Eynsford Hill.
Eddie on the other hand, his story I find to be tragic and full of romance, an old man with a life that has been lived. Not the life he would have chosen for himself but one that was necessary. There was tragedy from war, neglect from his father, and a job he never wanted to have. But to balance it out, he had the “girl of his dreams”. Their life was not always a happy one, but together they withstood, even after her death he loved her. And even though this book was about Eddie’s death, as I finished Eddie’s story last night I felt as if I should have been sad. I wasn’t. I was happy for Eddie. In contrast, as I finished Eliza’s story this morning, I couldn’t help but feel sad for her. Even though she had her life yet to live, was married, had her flower shop and her friends, I feel as if she would never find the happiness that was Eddie’s. And that, I feel is the saddest thing of all.

Completely Distractible

Today is already shaping up to be a doozy. The morning barely started when there was a closed door meeting with my boss. That is one of the joys of riding in to work with your boss…..you don’t get to sneak in. She knows when you get here and how long it takes your computer to start up. Lol! There are so many things I need to be doing….but everything comes out wonky. The emails I need to write sound overly formal (I hate sounding pompous) , I can’t focus on the paperwork I am supposed to be taking care of, and worst of all, the database I should be working in hates me (or I hate it, take your pick).

Every time I turn around I get distracted….I caught an email on Visiting teaching for April, Some one needs a correction on their information, I need to pull a few files, I found another song I like and downloaded it. Most of the distractions are work related…okay not the music or the visiting teaching but the others are……but they are not getting the work I have to done.

*sigh*

Maybe my theory is wrong; maybe Wednesday is the worst day of the week.

Just a Quick Note.....

I know I need to blog the weekend...I have some great pics from the Race on Sunday and Conference was fun with various people and roommates.....But i do not have time. Maybe that is something I can do for FHE tonight. For now I wanted to let you enjoy what I am listening to today.....

Donna Summers (Greatest Hits Vol. 1&2)

and

Aerosmith (The Big Ones)

I know they don't seem to go together very well but they have surely brightened up my day!