Do You Ever Have Days...

Do you ever have one of those days where certain people just drive you up the wall? Every little thing they do just makes you want to throttle them. Some are things that always irritate you, yet you're kind enough to let slide. Other things are just the fact you woke up and it's not their fault.

Today was one of those days for me. There is one individual in my life whom I love dearly. I wouldn't trade this person for anything. But on certain days I just want to drop kick this person and make them stay as far away as possible....if even for an extended period of time. I don't really know why it happens, it just does.

I think some of this may be due to the epiphany I had just a couple of weeks ago. There was an extension tonight, much to my delight. I love when things fall into place like this! Now, if only I can be sure to express what I've learned and stick to my guns! Lord willing, that's how it'll be. The other part of what may have caused that "stay the heck away from me" attitude today is the fact I've been cooped up in the house for the better part of a week. Well, I am pleased to say I was able to spread my wings a bit today!

Luke and I ventured into downtown Pueblo. My favorite part: the historic district. It was planned, sort of, because that's where the main library is and I had books to return. On this level, it will be nice to have our little branch reopen in March after the addition is complete, but it I'm sure we'll still manage to visit the main branch that's not so far away. Point being that we were able to get out of the house and see something a little different. It did not satisfy my overwhelming desire to go fly fishing, sledding, or just doing a little trek in the high country, but it did satisfy that need to see some different walls. Even Luke was happy!

I do hope to get a day to spend with my fly rod in the cold waters near Leadville before the New Year, but only time and weather will tell. While my parents were here, dad and I got to talking about fishing. I have some spots I am dying to take him, none of which I've been able to hit since I've only been fishing one time in 3 1/2 years (blasphemy!!) due to pregnancy and momhood. I look forward to taking my boy with me, but not until he's a bit older. Anyway, since those little chats I have been just overwhelmed with the need to bundle up a bit, don my waders & boots, and climb into the ice-lined rivers in the mountains above my home.

Until then, I just hope I don't take any heads off with this nice little attitude of mine....

Back on Track....

Finally, we are back on track! All three of us came down with the virus Luke had. It was HORRIBLE! While I am grateful that I did not get it as hard as the other two did, I still will be glad to never see anything like it again. The last time I felt pain like that from being ill was when I had e-coli...11 years ago. Thank you, but never again.
I am feverishly working on disinfecting the house today. I doubt I'll get all the way through, but even a good start is better than nothing at all. And it feels good to know it's being done, not to mention that "clean" smell is a refreshing change.
I will return to regular visits soon. It's going to take a few days to be back all the way, but at least we're not all lying around waiting for the next wave. Thank goodness!

Absent...

I'll undoubtedly be hard to come by for the coming days. My little boy is really sick and it appears it's going to be a long run with a ton of attention. If only I could snap my fingers and he'd be all better.......

I Now Present.....

The pristine wilderness.

The ones from the house are from yesterday. The ones at the lake are today. I wish I could have done a better job capturing the views...at least you can see the steam rising. That makes for a dramatic fog bank when I look out the front windows of my house! When I took these pictures it was a balmy 2 degrees out. It's early for here, but still kind of a nice to have it for Christmas! (I apologize for the lack of slideshow....it just wouldn't load tonight...)

Pristine Wilderness...

I haven't had much chance to get any pictures, and those I have been able to snap will be on the camera for a little bit, but we have such a pristine sight out our door right now! We were aware a storm was brewing, but all forecasts told that we'd be lucky for even a little bit of snow. Just the cold. Well, it is currently a balmy 10 degrees outside (at 2pm) and we have 5-6 inches on the ground! YAY!

In a way I am relieved because I didn't really want Jeff to head to Boulder today. I don't know, something just didn't feel right about him going today. The chance will arise again, so I think it's okay. He's currently shoveling the drive. In a way, I am thrilled because the snow is so wonderful this time of year, and I relish the thought of frolicking in it with my Little Man. In a way, I hate it because it's going to cause a mess when I let the dog in and out....but how minor is that?

The bad thing is that my sweet little boy is unable to play in it today. We woke to get ready for church and all was well. We'd been up maybe 10 minutes when his tummy decided it no longer liked anything about anything. The poor thing is begging for some water, but each time I give him a sip (literally, just a sip) it comes right back up on him. He's so upset. Frankly, so am I. This is the part of parenthood that sucks.

It's tempered just a little bit when I look out the window and see the beauty that's been laid before me. Oh, how I would love to grab a sled, dash out the door, and have a ball!

The Teeny Tiny Gap....

Holy crap! Our itty bitty, teeny tiny Cranfills Gap is not only in the news, it's the subject OF the news!

For those who may have missed it (and if you live outside of Utah, don't subscribe to the SL Tribune, or don't live within a few miles of Gap, you probably did miss it), Cranfills Gap, the town of a whopping 350 people in Central Texas, is going to Las Vegas. Okay, so only about 120 people of the town are going because they're the ones who can afford to take off of work or are over 21, but still! And what's more? They're going to be the subject of Vegas' tourism campaign for 2009! It all starts tomorrow (Saturday).

Why is this a big deal to me and my household? Because that is the town my ever faithful, loving, and still a cowboy husband is from! Seriously! We even married in the Old Rock Church there!

Was it only August that we were last there? Why, yes, it was! (Hi Jason, Cassandra, Larry, and Janet!). Jeff graduated from the school, my stellar Bosque Sheriff Deputy of the Year Father-in-law was a teacher at the same school (the ONLY school) for...I won't share how long, but he retired as a Lion. It certainly isn't the same town of Jeff's childhood, not even the same town as it was 10 years ago when we married, but it's still "our" hometown. And freaking hilarious! (no worries, Sandy, Utah. You're still my hometown, and our other hometown!)

So, thank you, Mom, for sharing this tidbit with us. We will be making a couple of phone calls tomorrow to pass a few jokes....as long as those we're calling are still in town! Who knows, they may be gallivanting down the Strip! For those who want to read all about it, here's the link to the article mom alerted us to. The rest we went in search of and laughed our butts off over:
www.sltrib.com/ci_11149120?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

Have a great time, all ye from the Gap!

Christmas Music!

I have finally joined the ranks of those who have added music to their blog! It's a short list, but let's face it: who really sits and just listens to all the selections on a friend's blog? Still, they're a few of my favorites for the Season. Enjoy them! I'm sure there's even one or two that some of you out there haven't heard.

I received such an incredibly sweet invite last night. It was from a few people I grew up with who are getting together the day after Christmas back in Sandy. It was especially touching since a) I've been missing my childhood over the past couple of days, and b) it's a sort of ward get together and I'm not LDS. There were some who were exceedingly mean to my brother and me while growing up because we didn't share their faith, but these ladies were always kind. To know that they're still such sweet and kind women is just a wonderful thing. I can't explain it....I've just become a bit of a skeptic on human kindness over the years in all of my travels and it does my heart good to know there are still those who extend warmth without strings. I can't attend since I won't be traveling this Season, but my I'll be with them in spirit.

Thank you, Ladies....