Christmas ramblings - read at your own risk (you may want that 5 min of your life back)

Oh the joy of the holiday. I have two favorite parts of Christmas, the first part is the best and most obvious, hanging out with the fam, but the second part is a little more misunderstood...Anticipation! The anticipation begins about a week before Thanksgiving when the first bold radio station plays a Christmas song (They only play one or two though, because everyone knows that Christmas music belongs after Thanksgiving) Then the Thanksgiving holiday gets you warmed up for some time off. You enjoy that day or two of not going to work and doing what YOU want to do. When you are back to work with a full lunchbox of turkey leftovers you have that taste of freedom on your tongue and realize that another brake is fast approaching. Now, back into the swing of real life you have Christmas surrounding you. Everywhere you go you hear bells, jingles and manger songs and everywhere you look is red, green and gold. Every store is on sale for gifts, buy this, buy that. You have a list in your head at all times, get this, get that. And although you have months to prepare, those last three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are when you get all your shopping done anyway. If you are like me, you work and play very hard and leave little time for practical things, like shopping. This stress or adrenaline only adds to the anticipation. After Thaksgiving you also set up your tree, decorate your house and join the church choir for the Christmas program, because everybody knows that Christmas songs are the greatest songs anyway. That brings up church, what a great time to go to church. I love Christmas lessons. The entire month of December you get to hear about Christ, sacrifice, birth, love, Christ and Christ. I wish we could have these lessons off and on all year round, the true meaning of Christmas.

Anyway, my mind starts on one thing and ends on another, that's the way this grey matter enclosed within my scull works, it's odd sometimes.

I would like to say something quickly about my beef with the Christmas season. Why do we give gifts to people? Really. Why do we walk up and down aisles of clothes, gloves, candy, candles, toys, why do we subject ourselves to hours of indecisiveness for a gift for that one person you know with get you something so you have to find something for them, but unfortunately you don't even know them well enough to have an idea of what they may really want. We've all been there, admit it.

here's an idea, next Christmas lets not give any gifts. Let's plan ahead and give our Christmas gift to those we love and care about before Christmas, at a time when they seem to need it most. I would like to give gifts when its not expected, when there isn't a million gifts under every tree in every house. I want to give a gift that will suprise someone and really be special. So maybe next year, instead of raising my blood pressure one more notch to find something for someone who will be getting a million other gifts, so mine won't be as special anyway, I will give a gift in July and attach a note that says..."Merry Christmas, I thought this gift was perfect for you and I hope it brings you the spirit of Christmas when it's least expected"

(But we all know I will still give Christmas gifts in December)

Look at me, I'm jumping a bike...oh wait, I guess this isn't really jumping. It's dropping without getting mud up my nose. Anyway, this is what I did on my last day off. Thanks for the video Adam and Christine.

Real Life

Ben and I seem to be getting an extra helping of real life lately. Things seemed to be looking up, Ben's classes got reinstated, all of them and he is doing well. So the money issue is yet to be worked out completely, we have to go through an appeals process to get stafford student loans due to some past problems in school. Ben has some great help with his academics and this student loan issue, the Dean of the UVU Wasatch Campus has taken Ben under his wing and his showing him the ropes. So that should go through and hopefully we can get the loan.

In the mean time, we bought a car. My mom and her X-boyfriend offered us a great deal on a Nissan Xterra. We took it because it was a killer deal and to get in and out of the cabin in the winter we need a higher clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle. So I have been trying to sell my Subaru for the last couple month, had some bites, but last weekend I found a guy who wanted to buy the car for sure. We made a deal and on the way to meet him and get the check, the car broke down. No joke, it stopped running. It's at the mechanic now, the buyer is still interested if we can get it working again. Thank heavens for that. Hopefully its just the fuel pump like we think.

So the moral of the story is, patience. This has all been a lesson in perseverance for Ben and patience for me. I think we are coming out of these experiences better then before, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?

Some old fun reborn

Found some old pics, thought I would give the vast numbers of readers a few new things to feast their eyes upon. Hope you enjoy...

Road trip photos in Oregon.

Ben doing what he does best.

A dream come true

So, I can't believe I haven't posted this yet...for anyone who knows me even a little bit, you know I have been needing and pining after a new bike for sometime now. And if you know me really good, you know I have been wanting a Santa Cruz. Well, the heavens opened about a month ago and devine providence brought me to little website called KSL.com and I randomly decided to check out the bikes. I found what is now known as the best find of the century. I found a 2002 Santa Cruz Bullit frame, medium size (my size), black and hot for sale for $325. That alone is a steal but after visiting this awesome seller with my buddy Adam, he offered up his titanium bottom bracket, XT front derailleur, carbon fiber cranks, Chris King head set, seat post clamp, rear fox float lockout shock and the frame for $350. HELLO!! I snatched that up as fast as I could manage. My dream come true right?

Well, to make the story even sweeter my said buddy Adam and his lovely girlfriend of seven years, Christine had the rest of the parts for this dream bike just hanging around their humble home. I took the frame there and next thing I know I have a full bike, huge fork, disc brakes, complete drivetrain, wheels, handlebars, pedals, everything! How do I ever repay these two for letting me "barrow" all their stuff? These two are amazing and we worked on this bike together many late nights to get it rolling.

So slowly I will buy up parts, I have recently purchased a wider handlebar and tomorrow will order a longer seatpost. I have to be searching for a good deal on a fork and get a drivetrain soon enough. What a killer deal and THANK YOU THANK YOU to Christine adn Adam, they are amazing.

This looks a lot like my bike, without the coil shock in the back, mine is air, sweet and plush! The fork isn't this big either and this bike has new really nice parts, mine are good, but working on the new part. Trying to set it up to be as cross country as possible, one bike to do it all. Gotta get in better shape though to lug it uphill. :) Love it!

Little Syndey after swimming in the water hole at the ranch. She is soooooo cute! Will hopefully get photos of Turk up here too.

Update

Hi all, Ben and I have been living in a cabin that is south east of Kamas, Utah. We are loving it, but there is no internet or phone service up there. We do have running water and heat and stuff though. So we have been a little out of touch. A few good things we have been doing include a rafting trip in Jackson, a pioneer trek reinactment in Wyoming, Rae getting West Nile Virus (or a similar virus) and being sick for forever then getting better and doing a 40 mile mountian bike ride. (A first for me) We had our third anniversary, we ate at Ruth's Chris (Thank you Steve and Wendy) and we watched the Dark Night (WOW! What a movie). I have been working a lot and summer is almost over. :( Good because work will slow down, but bad because I need to play more before the weather gets cold.

I hope everyone out there is doing well and enjoying the good weather. Get out and play!