On a hot summer day with the top down on my convertible, I came to a stoplight. I picked up my knitting, using this time wisely, I started to knit. A trucker in the next lane said "HEY LADY, the light is going to turn green and you are going to hold up traffic!!" I politely responded "RELAX!!! This is a 6 STITCH LIGHT!" Then I raced to the next light hoping to catch another red!
When we were on our day trip to Borrego last Friday we both were snapping pictures, me and my crappy old digital and Grant with his nicer newer one with the higher megapixals and better video taking capabilities.
I was happily snapping pictures and hunting for flowers and points of interest to photograph that would be suitable to share with you and also put into our scrapbook. Points of interests like the men's facilities on the trail (still grossing out). I really didn't have any thoughts of taking videos. Seriously, videos of flowers? Why would you? On our way home we took a different route than the one we drove that morning. We went up Montezuma Pass that would take us through Santa Ysabel. There we stopped off at Dudley's Bakery and The Julian Pie Company. These two bakeries are right next to each other, so it EASY to stop off at both places and do the right thing by stimulating the economy of Santa Ysabel.
But going back to the journey of driving to Santa Ysabel.......we are near the summit of Montezuma Pass, Grant pulled over to take a PHOTO of the valley from one of the turnouts.
From that elevation and the fact it is a pass between the mountains, it was windy as hell. I mean SERIOUSLY windy and I was having to focus on not getting blown off the road over the side of the cliff. So I stood BEHIND Grant (as any sensible wife would....thinking if Grant blows over the side, then I'd take that as the signal to head for the car).
Grant yells into the wind toward me, "I'm going to take a panoramic shot of the valley". HE SAID "SHOT"...I'm sure of it...and so I naturally assumed that he was using some fancy feature on his new camera or that he would later splice together numerous SHOTS with some fancier photo editing software back home. Instead, he was taking a "VIDEO" and I was oblivious!
Back home, Grant is looking at the photos and previewing his video, when I hear him say "What the hell is that noise at the end?" "I don't remember anything behind us!" "WTF, IS THAT???" Then he falls out of his chair laughing.
All you can hear is the wind blowing, but then you hear me cough a little dainty cough, and then moments later let loose with an impressive BELCH while standing behind Grant!!!! It was so windy that at the time, it went unnoticed by him....and I don't remember doing that at the time. As a Lady who would never do something like that NORMALLY, I have to assume that it must have been from the wind blowing into me. Um, you'd buy that, right??
So here I am, making promises and deals with Grant all over the place so it doesn't end up on YouTube!! Lesson Learned? Chose the gifts you are giving VERY carefully!
6am on Friday morning we were on the road for the two hour ride to the desert. There is a small window of opportunity to see the desert in full bloom after rain has fallen. I had always heard about it, but never was able to make the trip to see it. I was excited because this would be a new experience for me, and Grant had not been in this area before so it was new to him as well.
Initially, we found that it was dark and foggy which isn't the best combo for a drive on a two lane windy mountain road. About when I was ready to say "turn around" because the visibility was not much beyond the hood of the car, we rounded a bend and the sky was crystal clear.
About 30 minutes into the drive we started to see the sunrise and the scene took on a whole different feel. Typically on a day trip you are focused on "getting there" to then enjoy the day. Seeing the sunrise during the drive gave us the feel that we were "there" all along the way.
We arrived in Borrego Springs at 8am and decided it would be nice to have breakfast there. It was pretty quiet and not a lot of stuff was happening at that hour. But we did find a place and proceeded to have a breakfast to die for at Kendall's Cafe in the Borrego Mall. I think it was the homemade salsa that they put on the top, it was UNBELIEVABLY GOOD!! In fact, I'd drive the two hours just to have that omelette again then turn around and drive the two hours back home....IT WAS THAT GOOD!
After breakfast we started driving around to see if we could find the flowers that we had heard so much about. We ended up at Coyote Canyon and found a nice array of purple, white and yellow flowers.
The sky was crystal clear, but the wind was intense at times.
Indian Head Mountain, can you see the face looking up at the sky?
We spent about an hour in Coyote Canyon then drove on to the Anza Borrego State Park and parked at the Visitor Center. We then walked the path to Panaromic Outlook. It was still quite windy and it was really starting to get hot. Grant wanted to explore Palm Canyon Trail, I was more than happy to find a shady spot to sit in and wait for him.
Then I was more than ready to head for the car when I discovered their bathroom facilities on the trail!
Although the "girl's room" at least had a block wall where you can go behind....my immediate reaction was still "oh, hell no!!!"
Today was the last work day of the week for me so typically it is the more "casual" day for apparel. The day started out pretty normal, I woke up around 4am, moved around the house slowly and in the end of the week fog that always seems a little thicker at the end of the week. I remember getting dressed in my jeans and sweater, then slipping my house slippers on an puttering around the house.
I toasted a bagel, took the dry towels out of the dryer, put the finished load of laundry in the washer into the dryer, watched a little bit of the early morning news program while ate my bagel and had a glass of juice. At some point, I must have realized it was time to get moving and head to work....so I packed a lunch, grabbed my knitting bag, a couple of books and some work papers and made my way to the front door before realizing that I needed to say goodbye to Grant. I put everything down, quietly made my way to the bedroom, whispered good bye with a little peck on the head. Turned around and made my way out of the bedroom, trying to make sure not to bump the bed and knock him into a full wide awake status. At the front door, I picked up my lunch, my knitting bag, grabbed my keys and then quietly exited the house. Loaded everything into the car before realizing I had to go back into house to get my cell phone......went back into the house, grabbed the phone, then went back to the car.
Once in the car I made sure I had my wallet (it was in the bottom of the knit bag) found out that the TV remote must have fallen into the knit bag so I had to return THAT to the house. Another "back and forth" then resumed my " pre commute check list".....got the wallet, the ID badge, my lunch, my knit project to work on at lunch, a pack of gum, the cell phone, key is in the ignition........"Houston - We are Go for Ignition Start Up!"
I don't remember the actual drive into work, it was uneventful and frankly at 5:30am I'm pretty much on autopilot.
Now I'm in the employee parking lot, getting all my stuff ready to take into my office. I walk to the building, get all the way into the building when I sense something is just a little "off". I look down and then, "OMG!" I realize that I STILL have my slippers on!!!
Working with the bunch of guys I work with....it will be a little while before I live this down.
Am I the only one that feels ripped off by Daylight Savings every Spring? My weekend is an hour shorter and as minor as that may sound...I FEEL that loss of an hour on my drive into work come Monday morning. Do you find the people on the road and at work seem extra grumpy the week following the start of Daylight Savings? In fact I think everyone is grumpier till the clocks roll back in November!
We allegedly gain an hour in the fall, but then it is taken back in the Spring. But I think we lose at a minimum 2 hours every year in this cycle of "give and take". As the following video explains......
It is now 8pm, I am starting to roll the clocks forward in the house so that by the time the time changes, I'll be done setting all the clocks.
Today was the first day that I really was able to go out and do anything after coming down with the flu a little over a week ago. I was off today and Grant had to go to work late so Grant decided that we'd sneak out for lunch.
Normally when I have an off Friday and the girls are at school, Grant and I have a "date" where we either go out for breakfast or lunch....so today was not untypical in that sense, it was just not our normal Friday "date".
The issue is Grant's definition of "SNEAKing" out for our lunch date.
"Sneaking" implies a secret....or to stealthy do something that goes undiscovered by others......doesn't it?
Well, Grant gets so INTO sneaking that he has to PROVE that he is sneaking to those very people that he is sneaking away from, i.e. the girls.
So what does Grant do, every single time we go out to lunch while the girls are at school???
Grant takes pictures with his camera phone of our plates full of food then sends the pictures to the girls on their camera phones while they are at school!! This way, he finds out if they have their phone on when they are not suppose to AND he gets the added satisfaction of letting them know he is up to something while they are studying hard at school. Or whatever it is they do at school these days!!
Now that would be the end of this blog post except that this evening.....Since Grant is working late, and Jillian has a date, Janeva and I are having a "girl's night" watching horror flicks and we decided....rather Janeva decided that I should spring for pizza. So a girl's night complete with pizza, horror flicks and having the run of the house in our pjs! It's one of the BEST ways to spend a Friday night!!
Imagine my surprise when I look over at Janeva as she starts to break out the pizza and I see her holding her camera phone to the pizza.......
About a week ago I came down with the flu. It was nothing more than your typical flu, one what makes you wonder for a few days if you'd live through it....but you almost certainly will. The question is, will your relationships and family still want you when it is all over?
Add to that, the stress of knowing that an anniversary is coming up and while you had in mind what you were going to do and the gift you were going to pick up you had not anticipated a need for a "Backup Plan" in the event that you were flat out with the flu.
The day before the Big Day, it became clear that I was not going to be in any shape to get to the mall and pick up the gift, let alone find a card that was suitable to give to Grant. However, that didn't stop Grant from teasing me and dropping hints that I was going to be thrilled and excited to wake up the next day.....increasing my frustration and irritation over my situation.....why I just couldn't wait to find out what the "anniversary fairy" was leaving me!!
It was then in that heightened irritated flu induced frustration that the following conversation took place:
Grant: "I have to run to the store to ummmm, well....I just need to go to the store." Me: "Great, go then." Grant: "Do you want me to get anything for you....I mean......aside from what I'm going to the store for ...do you want something?" [insert a smuggly smirk] Me: "Nope" Grant: "Nothing? I can easily pick something up while I'm out".
OKAY....that was it!
ME: "YES!! While you are out could you stop at the Hallmark Store and pick up an Anniversary card..a NICE one, not a lame one....and one that is really sweet that says all the crap you'd want to hear from me! If it is loaded with sweet romantic crap, THAT would be the one to buy so I can give it to you tomorrow! Don't you dare come home without a great card because I don't want to look like an ass not having a card for you on our Anniversary, damnit!"
Grant: [slowly backing away from me, eyes wide.....and after he determines to be a safe distance away......breaks out in an uncontrollable laughing fit!!!]
You know that silly bastard still didn't get me a card to give to him on our anniversary!!!!? I won't let him forget that either!!!
Meanwhile....I was able to capture Jillian with the camera wearing a little cardigan I knitted/crocheted for her.
In keeping with the family tone this week Jillian said "FINE!! You can take my picture, but don't get my face it it!"
I think we could pass as one of those TV families!!
