Alright we'll start the bidding at $5!

Image courtesy of Keerati / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sometimes when I reflect on how my day went, I have those, "How does it happen to me type?" type of day. Well, I kind of had one of those. Not in a bad way, just one of those very random type ways.

Last weekend I went to spend time with my sister and her little baby. We talked, chatted, ran an errand or two until it was dinner time. For dinner we went to their local fire station to enjoy some spaghetti. It wasn't amazing by any means, but all the proceeds went towards equipment and training. These fire fighters are all volunteer and do have a budget, but extra money always helps right?

After the dinner they had some kids playing so music. They were on one of those tv shows, like Americans Got Talent or the X Factor or something. I don't know and it doesn't matter. It was some siblings with the oldest looking about 16 and the youngest about 8. They were good, it was kind of country, kind of blue grass, kind of something that involves a stand up base, madlin, and guitiars.

While standing around taking in a random old school firetruck in a bubble, the random assortment of people, and the little kids dancing like crazy in front of the stage. I was jealous of their lack of selfconcioushiness. If kids aren't shy then they just go all out wherever they happen to be. It is a trait I wish hadn't been pushed down and away as an adult.

Anyway, my sister's neighbor, how had help orgainze this event, came up to us and was like hey, can one of you help auction off some cakes and baked goods? My sister and her husband ofcourse volunterred me. I was like, are you serious? Do you really need someone? She said yes. I again tried to get out of it by asking if she'd asked anyone else. She was like we've asked like 5 other people and they all said no and you don't know anyone here so it would be fine.

I do talk fast and I've never tired to auction off anything before, so sure, why not? She let me know when I needed to come do this thing.

The kids on stage played a few more songs as my nerves started to get a little bit more jumbled up.

My brother-in-law asked if I needed to practice. I was like nope I'm good, I'll just wing it. Which the last time I just winged it, it was at their wedding and that speech.. well the guests liked it and there was some laughing. Which normally don't happen at wedding.. so yeah, not the best idea.

The kids announced it was their last song and I was given the wave to come over. I put my phone on silent and went over to find out how we'd do this. She's have the cart below, she'd tell me what kind of cake it was, we'd try to start the bidding at $5 and go up from there.

I get on stage and go to the microphone which would suit me best, which the littlest of the kids had used, however the sound is off. So I get to play Goldie Locks with a few microphones until I find the one that still had sound.

So the first cake is handed up and I describe it as a delisoush cake that is delisoush.

Yeah, I was nervous from there. The good news, I didn't repeat the same discriptive word after that.

However, I did get lost on what cake we had and what the last number to be bid was. Also, one couple was in the corner of my eye and I missed seeing them bid like twice. Oops. But people were cool about it, helped me out and I made it through.

The most excitement went to two guys who paid $45 each for some coconut cream pies. I sure hope they were good. 

So yes, I can now add auctioneer to my random list of random things I've done and never thought I would.

As so everyone can be amused, my sister was kind enough to send me the short video she took of the event. I haven't seen it yet, and don't plan too, but enjoy.

Has anyone else had something like this happen to them? If so leave a comment below.

Floating down a river.

This past weekend I took a time out. I went for a float down a river with New Dude, my brother and his brother.

It was a stressful morning because I NEEDED to run before we went and sat for a few hours. I hadn't been able to run in about 3-4 days so my bitchiness was coming out. So we got up early, went for a run and then had a mad dash of about 30 minutes to get 3 people through the showers, all the towels, drinks and whatever else we needed gathered and out the door. We had to stop to grab some food which, apparently 9:00 is a busy time for fast food places on weekend.

We were running behind, which was stressing me out a little because the way the talked about the reservations we HAD to be there at a certain time or bad things would happened. Also getting 4 people to one place at one time, was a lot harder that I had thought. I still keep forgetting this fact.

As a whole we were a little late but it was okay. About 20 minutes after we were there, we had a map, a dry bag, our snacks and drinks, and were floating down a river.

We went about 6 miles and it took us about 4-5 hours. At one point we were all very nervous that the trip was going to be ending very soon. Only to worry about an hour later that it would never end and that we were lost and never getting home.

The day itself was amazing. The water was calm, the sun was shining, the clouds were fluffy and all different kinds of shapes. There was a slight breeze that took care any little bugs.

We had nice supply of snacks and drinks, no cell phones, and mostly just good company.

While stopping for lunch we found a deer skull, trash and a trolling motor. We kept the skull.

We end up with some stories, like how my brother and New Dude's brother ended up flipping their canoe. It was due to over confidence,  my brother freezing when thing started to go wrong, and it was all done in SLOW motion. Quite funny. New Dude were able to watch and then help them out and flipped their canoe. There was a moment or two when New Dude and I almost flipped our canoe as well.

 

What I really enjoyed was, after getting there, was to sit back, relax, enjoy nature and just get outside with the people you love. Was it a super riveting adventure? Eh, when we almost flipped, but mostly it was just enjoying the day. Really, just sitting on a river, hearing both animals and trains, and enjoying the day. Being there, in the moment.

 

I also learned that floating in a canoe is a great way to learn how your communications skills are with your special someone else. New Dude and I did well, but I was having word issues. I also learned that I like to float down a river more straight then cutting back and forth to correct the direction we were going. I think New Dude was more just let us just float and see what happens.

 

For anyone else still new in a relationship, or even old, I'd suggest a canoe trip to see how it goes. See if you're on the same page and if not can you figure out a middle ground? I'd say sort of. I was up front of the canoe but I didn't really do much to move the canoe. If New Dude didn't paddle, then we didn't move. I don't know if it is the different in weight or my poor paddling skills. Either way, we'll just have to do it again to find out.

 

 

Another weekend has arrived. What are you going to do to make an adventure? If you cannot make an adventure are you going to at least get out there to enjoy the day or the moment? Are you going to really be there or just take pictures/snapchats/picture texts about it?

Red Jacket

 

My sister came and visited this weekend with her little bundle of joy.

 

She forgot to bring an article of clothing home with her. Which considering all the thing a baby has, isn't too bad.

 

 

 

New Dude tried on the jacket... but it wasn't quite fitting.

 

The funny thing about the jacket is that it first the bear, his name is Fuzzy, everywhere but his arms.

 

So currently her baby is the size of a bear. No wonder I think she is getting cutter.

 

I'm getting excited for winter.. I have outfits to buy and babies to be torment.. I mean show my love.

 





 Happy random Tuesday.

Long Hair

We all know that I have long hair. We also agree that is brown, curly and that I kind of love it. I even wrote a whole post about it called: Curly is Best.

New Dude likes me hair. He likes long hair, and I've even held off cutting it to donate it, just to make sure when I do that it will still have lots of length to it.

Now as a female with long hair there are a few things that you come to accept.

You'll go through more conidition, shampoo, and hair styling prodcuts then those with short hair.

That fleace, even though it is super soft and great for the winter, will be nothing but a magnet for catching your hair.

Dust bunnies are your fault. They won't get nearly as large without the help of lost hair.

Working around food always requires it to be tied back.

The fantom hair which feels like a spider web but it isn't trapped somewhere on your person happens every once in a while.

It will even get caught in your clothes for a feeling you cannot get rid of, like in your bar, a pair of pants, shirt, or even underware.

Guys don't know about this. Or at least they don't know about the full extent of how hair can just creep into everything and anything.

New Dude has experinced the random pulling along strain of hair out of his zipper before. Hey, stop getting weird on me, it happens when you do laundry together.

The newest and best experience he has thus far happened on Tuesday.

He was sitting with his brother, talking, enjoying life when there was this weird tickeling sensation going on in his boot. It felt like a piece of grass was in his boot.

He sat there and took off his boot, took off his sock to find my HAIR and not a blade of grass. My hair inside of HIS sock wrapped around his toes. How in the world did it get there no idea. How long had it been there, probably all day. Why did it just now start to feel weird? No idea.

These brown locks might be pretty, soft, and fluffy, but beware, the hair will get everywhere!

Do you have any random places hair has ended up and you had no idea? Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below!

Lone Flip Flop

Lone Flip Flop

A few weeks ago I told you about my trip with New Dude to our Hunt Club Weekend.

Well, when I got back I was unpacking all of my bags and I ended up with a flip flop. Just one flip flop.

I left is sitting in the kitchen floor, where most my shoes end up, for about week. I figured by this point, all the bags had been unpacked, all the suitcase put away, all the laundry had been completed and still no flip flop.

So, while straightening up some other things in the kitchen I decided it was time to cut my losses of my Old Navy flip flop and toss it away. 

So I did.

About a week later New Dude and I were going somewhere and I was driving my car. He was reaching down to adjust the seat, when he pulls out a lone flip flop.

He was like hey, did you know this was here? I laughed at the irony and said no. I also informed him how I had just tossed it's mate a few days prior.

Well maybe they can be together at the garbage pile?

Lesson learned, check your bags AND car before you cut your losses for shoes, even if it is just a pair of flip flops.

Anyone else have a story like this? If so leave a comment below! Thanks and have a great day!

Sandy River Retreat

A few weekends ago, New Dude and I went and did something that he and I had never done. We went to do a zip line/high ropes course at Sandy River Retreat.

This was yet another Groupon adventure for two. I saw it, bought it and held onto it until we could figure out when to go. We picked out date and went on-line to sign up. I would recommend this because they were completely full when I went. Nothing would bum me out more then driving all the way out there and not getting to go play in the trees.

So that morning I got up and went for a run with a friend and other random people. New Dude was coming off of night shift and being up for WAY more hours then a person should be so I let him sleep as much as we could. By about 8:30am I started to get him up and moving. We were out the door by about 9:15 and headed up the road.

Sandy River retreat is a little less then two hours from where we live so we opted for the 11:30am time. They had a 9:30am and a 2:30pm as well. 9:30am was too early for us and 2:30pm I felt would take up more of my day then I would appreciate since it was going to be a there and back trip.

I feel asleep on the way up the road and woke to us turning around. We had missed the turn. We also did that like two more times on the way to the park. However, we still arrived on time.

Once we were on the right road/driveway on our way in we passed some of their very cute cabins and make our way to the parking lot. There we got out, checked in, signed some wavers, went to the bathroom, and waiting to get suited up with our harnesses.

All harnessed up and ready to go.

New Dude showing how harnesses can look good.

We were behind a family that seemed to range from about 7 year old to a grandma and grandpa and everyone in between. We missed the first group and their little introduction and so waited for the next group, and this family, to go through it.

I'll be honest, the staff was great at helping and explaining everything, but this family was kind of stressing me out. They weren't really listening and kept playing with things before they should. They kept asking the same questions over because they were not paying attention. I told New Dude if we got stuck behind them in the ropes course I was going to have some issues because they were causing me to stress out a little.

However, that was not the case. Yes, we started our first little adventure up the ramp with them but quickly were able to go to the green course while they went to the yellow. I was extremely happy about that.

From the first little demo, a short walk down a path to the actual canopy and zip lines and ropes course we were transported into Never Never Land. Okay, I don't think Disney would approve of that name, but it was awesome.

You looked in the tree tops and saw all these different courses, paths and obstacles. If Peter Pan's Lost Boys ever had a place to go play, this would have been it.

Look of concentration.

Each obstacle was challenging and exciting. It has been confirmed that I must not be afraid of heights. However, still being 15-20 feet above the ground, looking down so you can place your feet correctly freaks you out a little.

There were several obstacles that still had me psyching myself up to start my journey across the challenge.

One of the best parts is that you are tied in the entire time you are up there. They have a safety system that can be a challenge at first to be able to lock and unlock yourself but by the end of the time you feel like a pro. So even if you eat it, like New Dude did twice, then you're got getting anything really hurt or bruised besides your ego. My fear of falling was so great I did not eat it.

Safety system clips

This was such a cool experience because it takes mental and physical strength to pass these course. Now, you don't have to be an avid super athletic person to do this by any means, but balance, strength to hold your own weight, and some hand eye coordination will go a long ways in helping.

As active as I am, New Dude and I still felt it the next day with a little bit of soreness and fatigue here and there. It was awesome.

We were playing around in the trees for about 3 hours and only really saw the family that was stressing me out across the way. I think it might have been about a group of 20-30 people, but we never had to really wait on anyone or had anyone waiting on us. Everyone was spaced out enough that you could take your time on the obstacles and feel no pressure. New Dude said it was one of the coolest things that we've done thus far. I would have to agree.

After this little adventure we were stupid hungry. Wanting to discover the area a little more we headed into the little town of Farmville. It was a cute little town with people out an about on that beautiful Saturday.

We went to a local bakery called, The Bakery, and had some soda in bottles, with chips and sandwiches. Everything was really good, they had all kinds of beer and wine for sale and it was a cozy little place. I would probably eat there again.

After a great afternoon and some food now in our systems it was back on the road to head home. New Dude was able to pass out this time while I drove in the wrong direction for 20 minutes and then figure it out and went home.

This was a great adventure for anyone not afraid of heights. It was fun, challenging, and great for learning about yourself and other people. New Dude and I didn't finish the whole course so will be going back for sure. Below are some pictures and a few videos. Enjoy!

 Here is their website for more information that you MUST go check them out! http://www.sandyriverretreat.com/Pages/TheAdventurePark.aspx

Continue reading to see more pictures and some tiny little videos!

Craft Time with New Dude

 

 

This weekend there were a lot of random blog worthy events going on. From my unidentified rash-thing to new hardwood floors being put in. However, since my weekend was non-stop and my new computer isn't here yet, I'm going to go with this post.

 
I went to work on Sunday morning and came home around 5:50pm. Having a free night I asked New Dude what he wanted to do.

He said we hadn't done anything childish in a while, like the fort or Nerf guns or maybe it was the burning movie theater popcorn on  the back porch. Either way he wanted something younger, fun, and easy.

 

He first suggested to make home-made stuffed animals since I love mine so much, why not make one? However, I was not in the mood to deal with a sewing machine. So after a lot of attempting to head out the door and being held back by New Dude, we went to Wally World to see what we had.

After about an hour or aimlessly wandering around the craft and toy isle we went with a bag of pipe cleaners with googlely eyes and pom poms.

 

We got back home and spent an hour or so destroying the kitchen table with arts and craft time just chilling and enjoying the creative juices. I have no idea what we're going to do with them, but it felt nice to make something.

 

Get out there, grab some scissors, glue, and felt stuff and make something!