the one about my beach cruiser

In an effort to save money I have recently started riding my bike or walking…everywhere! Gas prices are outrageous and I refuse to pay that much money to drive to work when it is less than mile away. Besides, I am also working on saving ME! I have been dieting and exercising and that ride to work every day is only going to help me, right?
So anyway, about my bike… A few years ago I scored my bike for a killer deal! It was donated by a local bike shop and then auctioned off for charity. I bid on it and won! I got a $350 bike for about $100. This spring, my bike needed a little work. The tires were bad and it just needed some maintenance. I had left the house one evening and while I was gone my sweet husband fixed it all up for me! He even put a basket on the front! I have been riding it ever since. I love it! Some days it is a little chilly, so I just bundle up and off I go. My cute little Finny loves to ride with me too.
You know me… I can’t have a bike story without some kind of catastrophe. The first day I rode my bike to work, I was wearing long loose leg pants. I never even thought about the dangers of pant legs vs. bike chains…. until the two items met. My quick little bike ride came to a screeching halt. Literally. I had to stop my bike, pull my pant leg out and fix my chain guard. It bent so badly that the pedal wouldn’t even go around. I had to kick it, bend it and manipulate it to get it all back in running order. Remember the basket? Yes, I had it clear full and when the basket is full, the bike will not stand on its kick stand. It makes the front end heavy, then the handle bars turn, and then it falls. So this was tricky for me to make minor bicycle repairs on a busy street with no hands and only one foot on the ground (one was caught up in the chain, remember?) I got everything all fixed and I took off. The first 3 seconds of my ride were good, until my pants got caught again. So all of those things that I just said about fixing my bike??? Yah. I had to do all of that again. I quickly learned that I needed to roll up my pant leg. Crisis averted. I was off and running again. Nearly every day, I pack my lunch and take it to work. Usually leftovers, sometimes a sandwich or something like it. This particular day I had a slice of Papa Murphy’s de-lite crust pizza. (Chicken, bacon and artichoke. Yum!) I had placed my pizza on a small paper plate and covered it with plastic wrap. I was just getting confident after my little pant leg scare when, simultaneously, I hit a small bump and a little gust of wind blew by. Because of the thin crust pizza, there was not much weight on my plate. So guess what happened next? Yah, I lost my pizza.  Once I finally got to work, I was laughing about all of my silly adventures in the last 5 minutes. I had to tell on myself. I called Brett and we had quite a good laugh about the whole thing. The next day got a little easier, and the next even easier. I have got my pants caught in the chain so many times it is ridiculous. I just forget to roll up my pants or put a rubber band around my ankle until I get that sudden jolt. Then I quickly remember.
This is not the only trouble I have had on my bike over the years. When I first got my bike, I was taking it for a little spin around the neighborhood. My old bike was a mountain bike style and it had hand brakes. This bike is a single speed beach cruiser and to brake, you make the foot pedals go backwards. I was having a really hard time getting used to it! We had some major road construction going on so there was a lot of gravel on the road. I am sure you can predict where this is going. Bike? Gravel? Bad combo. Well I was going over to the Galley’s house and was getting ready to stop and park my bike. I still have no idea exactly what happened, but somehow right as I was stopping, I fell. And my bike fell. Right in the gravel. One of Garrison’s friends was walking out of the house right at that minute and he saw everything. I am sure he wanted to laugh so badly!! Can you blame him? I was laughing hysterically! I am right now just thinking about the whole thing. The kid looked at me for the longest time and finally says, “You all right?” I just laughed. I told him I was fine, got up, brushed myself off and went inside. It was hilarious.
I am not very graceful and I know that when I ride my bike I look like a total idiot. And I am ok with that. I really don’t care. Just look at all of the gas money I am saving. And look at how much healthier I am going to be! So when you see me riding down the street on my big orange bike with the huge basket, just wave! Don’t honk though because you might startle me and that could be disastrous.

the one about my FREAKING AWESOME HUSBAND!!!

You can say what you want about my Bretty, but let me just tell you.... HE IS AWESOME! I am not going to get all sappy and tell you how much I love him, what a great dad he is, etc. etc. etc. Broken record. But I AM going to brag on him about his work stuff.

Brett works for Airgas. They sell any kind of gasses, welding supplies and safety supplies that you can ever dream of. He is an amazing salesman. Always has been. He is a charmer and can pretty much talk anybody into anything. He has really been rocking it at work lately and it has not gone unnoticed. Several little things have been happening lately that his bosses have noticed and I think it is probably paving the way for bigger and better things. Certain vendors will step in and start contests for Airgas employees to encourage them to sell their stuff. Besides his paycheck, he gets little bonuses every now and then for selling certain things. A few months ago, Lincoln Electric announced a contest for Airgas employees called "Drive to Indy." (I might get the details wrong here, sorry Brett!) The top 10 sellers (I think) of a particular product would win a trip to the Indy 500. Of all of the millions of Airgas employees... BRETT WON!!!

This is what he got: A trip for two to the 2009 Indianapolis 500 which includes:
*Round trip airfare
*Ground transportation while in the Indianapolis area
*All meals (including a winners banquet the night before the race)
*Hotel
*Police escort on race day to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
*Pit/Garage tours
*Race tickets with full access to the Lincoln Electric suite located just above pit lane on the front straightaway
*A driver "meet and greet" appearance at the suite on race morning

HOW COOL IS THAT! And, yes. He is taking me! We don't know much about Indy racing, but we don't care. We are gonna learn it and LOVE IT!! We know one very important thing though. It is NOT NASCAR. And I do know a couple of racers.. one of them is Helio Castroneves. He won Dancing with the Stars in 2007! The other one I know is cute little Danica Patrick. She is gorgeous and has been on lots of commercials and in many magazines. Both of them are scheduled to race. We are super excited. We are sad that we can't take Quayd, but Brett and I have not gone anywhere alone for over 4 years! It's our turn. Quayd will be fine.. I hope!

Really, we don't win stuff, so this is a pretty big deal to us. We leave on Saturday, May 23rd and come home Monday the 25th. Short and sweet. (Obviously, these are not my pictures. I got them from photobucket.com. Mine will be much better and instead of Julianne Hough standing with Helio, it will be me! And I am sure Brett hopes that instead of Secret deodorant in Danica's underarms, it will be him!!!)

Way to go BRETT!!!! Isn't he awesome? Love that guy! :D

the one about Valentine's Day

Brett and I are not super duper lovey dovey kind of people. I like snuggling, holding hands and all of that stuff, but only in the privacy of our own home. We are TOTALLY not into PDA's (public display of affection). I much rather have a little note or something than flowers. I don't like all of the cheesy teddy bears and stuff either. I like to eat out sometimes, but I hate crowded places and I really hate waiting a long time. Brett would say ditto to all of the things I just said. So when it comes to Valentine's Day we just don't really get into it. We usually stay home and I cook a big, super fancy dinner for all three of us. I can't imagine taking Quayd to a sitter while Brett and I have fun without him. We always get him a little gift, but don't like to spend money on each other. (This year Quayd got the movie "Space Buddies," a new BIONICLE, and a huge Hershey's kiss.) Anyway, this Valentine's was going to be no different. We had some movies to watch and we were just gonna veg out. I had to work from 8-3. At three, my replacement was supposed to come. 3:00 came and went. 3:30... nothing.... 4:00, 4:30.... Nothing. I realized I was gonna be stuck there all night. I called Brett and told him and Quayd to come to the hotel, we would stay the night and hang out. I had to be to work again at 8:00 the next morning anyway. Quayd had been playing with Amelia and he wanted her to come too, so they loaded up all of their stuff and joined me at the hotel. We called Wingers, Brett picked it up and we ended up having a pretty good night, considering the circumstances. When I got off work, I was so tired! We had asphalt pie from Wingers that we put in the freezer, so we ate that, exchanged our gifts (I'll tell you about that in a second), took a shower and went to sleep. It was a nice, quiet evening at the hotel so that was nice. Brett and Quayd were able to come into the back, eat with me and hang out. And we only had a few interruptions. Not the way I had planned to spend Valentine's Day, but it was ok.

Now let me tell you about our gifts. A few weeks ago, my friend Alison posted on her blog about 6 word memoirs. It is basically summing up your life in 6 words. It is so much fun. These can be silly, sweet, sad, anything. Just stick to 6 words. Here is a little snippet from the book.

Legend has it that Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Starting in 2006, SMITH Magazine re-ignited the recountre by asking our readers for their own six-word memoirs. They sent in short life stories in droves, from the bittersweet (“Cursed with cancer, blessed with friends”) and poignant (“I still make coffee for two”) to the inspirational (“Business school? Bah! Pop music? Hurrah”) and hilarious (“I like big butts, can’t lie”).

Our newest book, Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak, is a roller-coaster ride through the complexities of the human heart. It's just $10 — bring it instead of a bottle of wine to your next party.

Click here to read Alison's post. Also, you have to check out this website. SO COOL!

Anyway, Brett came home the other day and asked if I had read Alison's blog yet. I had not, so he told me all about it. He was so excited about it and insisted that we do this for each other this year. I was all for it. Brett doesn't like people to see his soft side. Of course, I have seen it. I promise it is there! But he has written me some beautiful letters before. He is VERY good with words. Before he had talked to me, he had already started writing his. The deal was that we had to write 10 for each other. These are the rules. At least one had to be funny, and at least one had to be serious. And because we are us.... at least one had to be dirty. ;D So on Saturday night, I got finished with work, and headed for the hotel room. I ended up getting adjoining rooms, so Quayd and Amelia were in one, us in the other. We got the kids all settled down for the night, then we shared our 6 word memoirs. We just took turns. Some of them were awesome, so I wanted to share. Don't worry. I will leave the dirty ones out!! I have to warn you though... Brett's are SO much better than mine. He was SO good at this. He is a man of few words. I, on the other hand... well, woman of MANY words, to say the least.

Mine:
being mother to your son... extraordinary.
disliked, liked, married. fell in love.
baby boy. greatest blessing. toughest trial.
carried baby. gave you a gift.
big boobs. small brain. your wife.


His:
I only have one true friend.
a promise to never ever leave.
measuring my love in light years.
only one kid. please stop asking.
days spent crying. can't parent alone.
new baby. death bed. true love.
days spent laughing, lifetime spent together.
best thing for me since me. (that is SO Brett!)

Aren't his so great! He rocks.

I love this idea. I think it is so much fun. It really makes you think about those defining moments in your life. I wanted to go search for this book for Brett, but I just didn't have time. This was such a good gift! I loved it. It meant more to me than any flowers, chocolate or a romantic evening alone. Our evening was spent just the way I would want it. Laying in bed, Quayd in the next room and us trying not to wake him because we were laughing so hard at some of the ones we had written. Then we made up a few more. So much fun! And that was our night. I was so tired from working a double, so I crashed.

It was one of the most memorable Valentine's Days EVER. Thank you Brett. Will you be mine? Forever?

the one about the New Year

Happy New Year!!!
I know, I know. I haven’t been very good about blogging lately. I don’t know what it is, but my life just hasn’t slowed down. I keep thinking that it will any day now, but it’s just not. Anyway, blogging is truly one of my favorite things in the world so I am trying so hard not to get too far behind in my blogging world.
I don’t really have any good reasons, but I am excited to start a new year. 2008 was a good year for us. I was so excited for 2008 to start, because 2007 was so rough. Mike passed away, Brett had his motorcycle accident and I lost my wedding ring. So 2008 came and now it is gone. I know this might seem weird, but I have always welcomed change. I love to experience new things and I don’t really freak out when big changes come my way. I look forward to the future and anxiously await new things. I am not really big on “resolutions,” so I don’t generally set them. Of course I have the standard ones… Lose weight, get healthy, be more organized, blah blah blah. But instead of worrying about what I will and will not do in 2009, I would like to reflect on 2008.
Here are just a few things that happened in our little world last year.
Quayd started indoor soccer, and later started AYSO soccer. He found a new love for this sport and really has no desire to try any others.
We got TONS of snow in 2008. It was the longest winter in the whole world!!
I joined the working world again. I hadn’t worked since before Quayd was born, so it was a huge lifestyle change for all of us. It has been good though. I substitute taught for awhile, worked in lunch lady land and now I am at the Holiday Inn Express. In fact, I remember mentioning a few months ago about a possible promotion. I got it by the way. I am the Front Office Manager. It has brought many new responsibilities, but I am loving it. Schedule is still good. I am home before Quayd gets off the bus.
We had major construction in our front yard this summer. They filled in our ditch and we got a sidewalk, grass and our own driveway.
I got a new bike!!!
Brett took and passed the EMT class. YEAH Brett!
I got my very first iPod. I have since upgraded from an iPod shuffle to and iPod touch.
I went to the Panic at the Disco concert in SLC.
Quayd rode his 4-Wheeler ALL SUMMER!!!!!
My friend Janice moved clear across the country to Kentucky. L
We took a weeklong vacation to Lagoon. We took our camp trailer and Brayden and had a blast!!
We all loved watching the 2008 Olympics.
Quayd started first grade.
My Great-Grandma Karren passed away.
Quayd turned 6!!!!
Brett and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary.
Brett spent 10 days in Washington DC.
I turned 30!
Ga got super sick and spent weeks in the hospital. It took quite a toll on all of us, especially her, but I am glad to say she is doing much better now.
Brett’s brother Brandon and his wife Brynn had a new baby, Brycen. And he is SO cute!!!!
Itty Bitty Kitty. Nuff said.
So that is kind of our year in a nut shell. We are excited to see what 2008 brings our way. Thank you for reading my blog. I promise that in 2009 I will try to be better about keeping everything current. But that is not a resolution!!!!

the one about random thoughts

I actually have some time to blog, but I have nothing to talk about. Seriously, nothing exciting or blog-worthy has been happening in my world, so this will just be a post about random things happening in my world.

First of all, it was my buddy Holly's birthday and Kandice and I took her to lunch. as we were driving by, we saw this on a local motel billboard. We had to stop for a photo!! No, Kandice or I were not that thoughtful, it was just total coincidence. But funny, huh!

I have been working TONS! I only want to work a couple of days a week, but they are so short handed so I offered to pick up a few extra shifts... but holy crap!! I have worked EVERY DAY since I started. It is crazy. I can't work this much again. I feel like I never talk to or see anyone. And I miss my baby! I am off today, thank goodness. Then I work the rest of this week and weekend. And we will see what next week holds. I really like it though. I have had so much fun and I love the people I work with. And I totally love all of the guests I have met. Well, most of them anyway!

I am pretty excited today, because I woke up to find a mailbox in my front yard!!! Is it true? Could this really mean that our stupid road construction is coming to an end? I sure hope so. If nothing else, I sure hope I don't have to go to the post office to pick up mail anymore! Ours is the box in the middle. YIPPEE!

I have also been super excited about the Olympics. I totally get Olympic fever! We have it on in the lobby at work all day so I get to keep an eye on whats happening, plus I try to have it on at home as much as possible. I just love it all! I get so into it. I am so proud of and excited for Michael Phelps. I am an official PHELPS PHAN! I am totally addicted to indoor women's volleyball!!!! I can't get enough!
And of course, softball.
I am so proud of these athletes. I am in awe watching their skill. They make me even more proud to be an American!

I guess that is all I really have to say. Nothing too exciting happening in our world. What's new with you?

the one about catching up

I am so sorry to all of my faithful fans who have been waiting ever-so-patiently to hear updates on my boring life!!! I finally finished my books. My friend Cara has a new series for me to read and I am pretty excited! I have this problem, and from reading my friends blogs, I don't think I am alone. When I start reading a book that is ALL I DO!!! My house goes to crap, dinner doesn't get cooked, no clean clothes and of course, no blogging. I love to get that caught up in a good book though. Even though I love love love to read, I feel like I sorta need a break before I start anything new. I need to get my life put back together!

So I went and registered my tiny baby boy for first grade. :( He is super excited about it, but I'm not. I just can't believe he is getting that big. He is the youngest in his class so he will start 1st grade being only 5! But then he will have a Birthday in a couple of weeks, on the 30th. Which brings me to another thing.. Quayd-er-ade's Birthday Party. He has been insisting that it be at the new rec. center so he can swim with his friends. I thought that was fine so I booked it. He is excited and all is going well in the planning department... but I am a little sad. I love to go all out and have a BIG fun party full of games and activities, etc. So this is going to be super easy. I look forward to this stuff and having only one child, I only get to do it once a year. The rec. center decorates and everything. The only thing I need to bring is cake. Of course I will do some party favors and I stole a super cute invitation idea from Holly, so I will be busy enough I guess. I am such a dork with this stuff. I am going with a fish theme. I thought it would be cute with the swimming thing, and Quayd liked the idea, so all is well. Last year it was all pirates. We had a treasure hunt and everything. Anyway, that will be fun for me to get my planning groove on!

So, I have an announcement (I guess) to make. I decided not to return to work this fall as a lunch lady. It has been a huge stress for me to make this decision. I loved my lunch lady job! I am sad that I won't be doing it anymore. I decided that if I was working, I might as well be making money. There is NO money in lunch lady land! After Tara started working at the Holiday Inn Express it really got me thinking. I worked as a front desk clerk several years ago at a local motel and I loved it. Tara was telling me how desperate they were at Holiday Inn, and I decided to apply. I got the job instantly and I had my first shift last night. I think the schedule will work out well so I can work while Quayd is at school. I only want part time. Three or four shifts per week, and lots more money! Its really a fun job, so far. I work again tonight. Last night was SO busy. I didn't really learn a lot but I am a pro at making room keys and baking cookies. I even answered the phones, not having a clue what to do or say but they were so busy, I felt bad just standing there! I hope this works out. I really want to work in Quayd's classroom and working everyday as a lunch lady doesn't allow me to do that. Now I can, and I will still be able to substitute teach a little bit. Two things I had to give up when I started in lunch lady land. We will see how it all goes. I am excited and nervous.

Remember all of our stupid road construction that I have been complaining about all summer? Well, its still going on and I am still complaining about it. We still have not been receiving our mail!!! The actual road is finished. The landscapers have not come to finish their part yet so I still have dirt for my front yard. The mailboxes don't go in until the landscapers come. ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!! It is making me insane! We still have dirt piled up forever and even though it is totally annoying, the kids LOVE it! They get so dirty and it makes us all crazy, but its also kinda cute how much they love it. I guess I should look at the bright side. It's making them happy and I don't have to water much grass! Anyway, on a few separate occasions, we have been unable to resist the photo opportunities of the three boys (Quayd, Brayden and Brennen) and their pets (Skeet and Fonzie) playing their butts off in the dirt.

the one about Lunch Lady Land

So I am sure you are wondering what in the world this post could be about with that crazy title. Tell me, what do you think of when you hear the phrase, "Lunch Lady?" C'mon, be honest.... Hair Net? Plastic gloves? Big nasty mole? Sloppy Joe?

Well I am here to defend the everyday lunch lady. I think she has gotten a bad reputation and when you think of her, I know you picture this: Or possibly, this:
Or for all of you Survivor fans, THIS:
Well, guess what. Get those preconceived notions out of your head. NOW! And when you think lunch lady, start thinking this:

Oh yah. It's true. I have made a career move and I am officially a lunch lady. I started today, and I must say, I had a great day.

Allow me to explain... I will keep it short and sweet. My old job was great, but just not working out. The software program wasn't working and it was causing me MUCH stress. When I was hired, I was told it would be until the end of this school year, and then they would determine renewal by the success of the program. Well, there was no success there! Really, the program just didn't work. It was super frustrating. I knew I needed to start looking if I wanted to keep working for the school district. I had thought about lunch stuff for next year, but then a job became available at Quayd's school and I just hated to pass it up. These "good" jobs don't come along too often, and a lot of times, once you are a lunch lady, you are always a lunch lady. Not a lot of turnover. As for now, furthering my education is definitely on hold, for other reasons that I will go into another time. I just felt like this move was a good choice for me. NO STRESS!!!! YIPPEE! The kitchen I work at is very small and there are only two of us, plus the cashier. (Shout out to Jamie!) Right around lunch time, a lady from another school comes to help us serve. And then I come home. My hours are 10-2. I am very excited and proud to be a lunch lady!

Quayd thinks it is great. I think it is great. All of the kids at school think its great. Brett, still not convinced, but he will see.... its not all bad. He did make this comment though..... "Its easier to fantasize about a "naughty teacher's aide" than a LUNCH LADY!" And my sweet, almost 12 year old nephew said, "Mandy. SERIOUSLY. Lunch Lady? That is quite a step down from substitute teacher. Don't you think?" I said in return, "Well, don't you think your lunch ladies are cool?" He kept the straightest face ever and said, "Um. NO!"

Oh well. I am happy with my decision. So stop thinking this... and start thinking.... THIS!!!! OOPS! I mean this.... And don't forget...

the one about the picture frames

At school, where I work, we have a wall of pictures of all of the staff. It needed a total makeover. Jamie, Shari and I thought about it and tried to come up with a plan. Of course, the budget for this project was non-existent so we had to be real creative. The frames that were already there were just plain cheap wood. Possibly fake wood. And they just had ugly computer lables. So we decided to strip them, spray paint the "wood" barn red, and make some cute tags with the teachers and staff's names on them. This was our big project yesterday. It was fun! We had a great time. Jamie and I painted them, Shari sanded them down, I made the tags and Shari and I put them all together & hung them up. Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.
this is the completed project. Pretty cute, huh.
These are Diedra, Shari, Megan and Lisa's photos on the wall.