Nonsense From Wonderland

I am not quite ready for summer to be over.   Is anyone really, though?  I start back to work on the 23rd, and the boys start the 25th.  Got Peyton’s schedule picked up and moved him into his locker Thurs.!  I was having a lot of mixed emotions as we drove to the jr. high.  I think he’ll be just fine, but it’s that first little bit of getting used to your surroundings, and of course hoping he can pull it together and be responsible.  No more mom saving his butt because he forgot a book or homework in his desk.  I worked our school’s registration on Tuesday, which was BUSY, but fun!  I’d love to do it again!  This time of year is always bittersweet, because as I said, I’m not ready for summer to be over, but it’s fun seeing all the kids and my co-workers again.  We have a new principal this year, and she is fantastic!  Such a sweet, bubbly lady!  We also have 2 new 5th grade teachers (one of whom I’ve met), and a new secretary, who I have not met yet.

The boys spent 3 weeks at mom and dad’s.  It was actually a shorter than usual trip for them, since Peyton needed to be back for registration, and it felt like it took forever for baseball to be over!  Peyton’s team was one game away from making the World Series championship game, and Breck’s team were the AA League Champs!  They went 17-0!!  One of the parents gave them all these awesome pull over jackets w/their names and league champs embroidered on it.  While the boys were visiting Am, Pa and P, we were able to spend a few days w/them.  We rode our motorcycles up to Thermopolis, via Laramie, Saratoga, Rawlins, Riverton, Wind River Canyon.  LONG ride, but awesome.  We spent the night in a little cabin at a campground in Thermop, then rode over the mountains to Buffalo.  Enjoyed the pool, Crazy Days, and a ride over to Ft. Phil Kearney, Sheridan and Ucross w/dad.  He let me drive his bike for a bit, and even though I was really nervous about it, it went fine.  His bike is like driving a car–so smooth and comfy!  We celebrated our 13th anniversary on the 2nd, by going to a Mexican restaurant in Buffalo.  Last weekend we rode down to Estes Park for an overnight trip, and stayed in a cabin at the KOA.  I am really liking these KOAs, and thinking we’re doing that next year on our way to Disneyland.  Estes is so beautiful, and I would love to have a summer home there.  We wandered around downtown a lot, and decided we would bring the boys back for a weekend trip, which we are hopefully doing mid-September. 

I didn’t accomplish nearly what I had hoped to this summer.  Always have grand plans, and never follow though w/most of it.  Did get the cupboards cleaned out and reorganized, and threw out 2 garbage bags full of stuff!  Our next big project is our basement, which we are making a workout room/my craft room.  We’ve been working out down there for the time being, but it will be nice once we get the wood floor in.  Thinking we’ll do this in October, when we have a couple weeks off from working out.  We’ve been doing the P90, and it sure kicks your bootie, but it’s awesome.  Nice to actually see results.  I was such a slug last summer, and gained a few pounds : (.  I’ve actually lost all that and then some, so I will keep going!

Jason’s out on a poker run today.  I was supposed to go, but have no one to check on/hang out w/the kids, so I stayed.  Not sure what we’ll do today.  Jason bought Mario Kart for the boys last night, and they are currently occupied with that.  I do have some errands to do, and would love a nap.  Hoping to make next week a happy, fun last week of summer break!!!

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These weekends just don’t last long enough for me! We did get some riding in today, which was nice–just a bit chilly at some points w/the wind. Mostly it was just my face and ears that were cold, because I hadn’t put my face cover on. We rode over to Dana’s to show her my bike, then out to Target to get a few things. I got Prince Caspian on Blu-ray, so am hoping we can watch it tonight. We didn’t eat lunch, because the time change messed us up, so by the time we ate breakfast it was 10. Jason made a yummy egg bake that was filling, and we had donuts left over from yesterday morning. Peyton had Blake over for a sleepover on Friday. We cleaned out the garage after taking the boys to Taco John’s and Coldstone. Once Blake left we headed to this little motorcycle store south of town to check out coats (they had none for me), then over to the Harley store for the bag sale (if you got a bag in the mail, you got 20% off what you put in it. I got a cute hat and this leather sleeve that goes over my ponytail. Jason got a stocking cap and a new tank cover thing (not sure of the technical name!), that has a pouch to hold his MP3 player. We had to go to Walmart after that, which was a headache as usual. I made this cordon bleu potato soup for dinner, out of the cooking magazine I get. It was so good and very fast and easy. Tonight we had pepperoni pinwheels, also out of the magazine. They were fast and easy too, and we all enjoyed them.

This week I have a class on Tuesday, but I will be leaving early for the kids’ Reading Independently gold medal ceremony. Every year they do the RI program, which lasts 7 weeks. All grades have different goals, and everyone has weekly reading logs. If you meet all the goals, you get a gold medal at the ceremony. It’s always cool to see the boys go up on stage and get their reward for their hard work! I can’t think of much else going on this week. Ammie’s bday is Saturday, and I can’t wait for her to open presents! We’ll probably watch over the webcam. Brecken still has not lost his teeth that have been loose forever. I asked the dentist last week, worried that he’d need them pulled right away, but he said it was fine. I am still a bit concerned, because the big tooth behind one has broken through. The tooth is just barely holding on, but he screams anytime I try to pull! Frustration!

Dana and I are going to see Jim Gaffigan in April! He’s at our Civic Center. I’m bummed Jason won’t be able to go, since he’s the one that got me to listen to him. My sis will be here, so will watch the boys.

I suppose that’s all for now, since I’m just babbling. Going to work on Breck’s tooth and wait for Peyton to finish showering so we can hopefully watch our movie!! Jason’s obsessed with finishing this level on LBP w/out losing any lives, and he’s been at it for a while. You get special outfits for making it through w/out losing any lives! It’s downright difficult on a few of them!

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So we took the bikes out to lunch at the Luxury Diner, then headed to the Harley store to get something for me to cover my face with on these semi-chilly days. About 3 hours later, I came home w/a face cover AND a new bike!! I’d been kicking the idea around for a long time, but just hadn’t really acted on it, other than looking online every now and then. I am very happy w/my new bike, and think it’s a great place for me to start w/a Harley, to get used to the power. It’s quite a difference from my Honda (which we traded in). She really gets up and goes! The bike is a Sportster Custom 1200 Low, w/upgraded pipes, carb, backrest and windshield. I got to pick out 2 free shirts for buying a bike too! The people at our Harley store are really great and so helpful, plus they know Jason because he’s in there so much. When you buy a bike from them, you get to ring the bell up front. By the time we got done, the store was closed and it was only a handful of workers and us, but it was still cool to be able to ring the bell. Plus, I got my picture taken for the Maverick Family wall . The weather is supposed to be good tomorrow, so we’re hoping to go out for a ride. It’s kind of weird for me, because I never thought I would own a Harley, let around ride a motorcycle, but taking the class and getting my license has been one of the best things I’ve ever done. There is just nothing like being out on a bike. It can turn a bad day around like that !

In other exciting news, sis got us tickets to No Doubt in Denver in May! We’ve seen Gwen Stefani twice solo, and she puts on an awesome show. At the last concert she ran down the aisle, and I was on the end seat, where I could have reached out and touched her! I am so excited to have a concert lined up. Crue Fest will be back this year, in August, but I don’t think we’re going to go. There are too many supporting bands that we don’t know or like, to spend that much $ on tickets. I wish the Crue would have just come through on their SOLA tour. Def Leppard is in Denver at the end of August, w/Cheap Trick and Poison, so hoping we can make that one. It would be my 6th time to see them! They are always fabulous in concert.

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Of course the toy run has to happen on the one weekend that it’s crappy.  Right now it’s 32 w/a windchill of 24.  It’s been drizzling all morning, and says we’ll have snow by 5.  I talked to my parents, and they have 5 inches of snow all ready!  I had decided the boys and I were not going to ride today, but Jason thought he still would.  However, Nelson isn’t going, so Jason is not either.  We will be running to the store to get dinner stuff.  Jason’s making a soup that has tortellini, sirloin, Italian sausage and pepperoni.  Perfect for this frozen day!  I found a recipe from my mom for caramel apple bars, so that is on my agenda for this afternoon.  Might make some cranberry orange snack mix too.  It’s so addictive.  Has 2 different kinds of Chex cereal, dried cranberries and peanuts, and is baked in this orange juice/brown sugar/butter sauce.  I’m making some for my lounge duty at school at the end of the month!

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We’ve had a pretty good 3-day weekend, and managed to get a few things done off our list.  Jason mowed yesterday while I cleaned up weeds.  It looks like our backyard is all ready starting to turn brown for fall.  My mom said that they saw leaves changing yesterday, when they were on a bike ride up to Montana.  I STILL have to get first of the month groceries, and am about to head to Walmart for that, since I need some stuff for dinner too.  We’re having crockpot meat sauce and tortellinis.  Jason made it once this summer, and it was really yummy.  This morning we headed to the Luxury Diner, aka, Hobo Homer’s, for breakfast.  Jason loves their corn beef hash (blech).  We took a long motorcycle ride after that, all around the edge of town.  It was really nice, because I haven’t ridden at all since the boys got back.  They both did pretty well on the ride.  Brecken is a better passenger for me than Peyton, because he is smaller.  Peyton moves around too much for me!  Brecken doesn’t reach the pegs easily on Jason’s bike, so it’s better for him to be with me anyway.  The Toy Run is Oct. 11, so I am hoping we get to do that again.  It’s quite a sight to see that many bikes.  Last year the weather was so-so.  We had some sprinkles early on, then it let up, but was still a bit chilly.  The ride ended out south at the Holiday Inn, where we dropped off our toys, and we could see this huge storm coming.  We made it home just before the rain let loose. 

Tomorrow is back to the grind I guess.  I am looking forward to getting a schedule set up where we’ll start having our students to work with.  The first few days of school are so hectic, figuring out how things will flow, and getting kids used to a routine again.  Brecken has soccer tomorrow after school, and Peyton has his first flag football practice.  Jason has to go to Laramie on Wed. for work, but hopefully it’s just a quick trip over and back.  He took Thurs. and Fri. off.  Our fantasy football draft is Thurs., after school.  I need to get in gear and do some research.  Don’t have a clue who to draft yet.  Jason is supposed to smoke chicken wings for lunch and a pork shoulder for dinner.  I don’t plan on having too crazy or late of a night, because I have bus duty at 8am Friday!

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I am enjoying this weekend to the fullest.  It’s nice to have Jason home for the whole thing, since he was gone so many weekends this summer.  Yesterday was Jason’s 34th birthday.  I think he had a nice day.  Since the boys have overlapping lunch times at school, Jason brought them lunch.  I got to see him, but didn’t get to visit, since I was on lunchroom duty!  For his gifts I got him the book Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run, by Alton Brown; Jimmy Buffett’s DVD of his concert at Wrigley Field; and Peyton picked MX vs. ATV for his PSP.  Peyton has the same game, and he wanted Jason to have it so they could play against each other!  My parents got him a Havoc Heli Stinger remote control copter.

This morning we kind of lazed around for a bit, then got dressed to head to Ft. Collins/Loveland.  We went to the Thunder in the Rockies rally to look for a jacket, but it was a bust, and other than seeing the cool dirt bike jumps and the ball of death, it was a waste of $30 to get in.  I seriously doubt we will go back, since we went last year too and thought it was lame.  Poor Jason is still on the hunt for a decent jacket.  Lunch was Buffalo Wild Wings.  I just LOVE that place, and always get the same thing–boneless wings, half in parmesan garlic, half in Caribbean jerk.  I eat half of them, then have the rest cold for lunch the next day.  After lunch we went shopping at Old Navy.  Jason was extremely wonderful and generous, giving me a big shopping spree.  He spoiled me rotten, to put it mildly : ).  I needed some clothes for work, and he was actually picking out things he liked!  Other than one shirt at Target, he picked everything else there.  Usually when I shop, the boys and he are off somewhere else!  They sat in the dressing room w/me giving me opinions.  We went to Target after that, and I got even more stuff!  My take on the day included 3 pairs of pants, 3 camis, black silky type shirt, thin black v-neck sweater, 2 cardigans, 2 dresses, 2 skirts, hooded shirt, and 2 pairs of black shoes.  Can’t wait to wear some of the new stuff next week!  We ran to Whole Foods Market on the way out of town, and got some “Amadeus” cheese.  We have no clue what it will be like, but it looked good!  Got home around 7 I think, and we are beat!  Just watching tv, playing online, and waiting for bedtime. 

Tomorrow I have a honey-do list that I hope will get completed.  We have a sprinkler head that needs replaced, drain that needs snaked, board to fix on the fence, lattice to fix on the deck, and wire to put up on the fence, to keep the dog from digging through to the neighbors!  At least I think we will still do the wire.  Today we put some big rocks in the holes where he dug, and he didn’t appear to dig anywhere else.  I need to do first of the month grocery shopping, and run by the library.  I have The Host on hold, and a book for Peyton.  As far as I know, we have no plans for Monday yet.  I would like to ride the motorcycles to the library.  I haven’t been on a ride since the boys got back, and I’m missing it.  Jason took my bike out yesterday, since I hadn’t even started it for 2 weeks, and put fresh gas in it.  It may not be much longer before I start shopping for my Harley!!! 

Here is the pic from the first day of school, since I couldn’t get it to upload the other day.

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