So much for THAT challenge...

Yes, I missed 12 on the 12th ccompletely.   I headed into a meeting that was work related and came out  feeling like this...

 Kind of hard to switch gears completely and take 12 happy pictures as I do try to reflect positive thoughts on my blog.   Or at least try to find the silver lining in the negative.   That wasn't happening on the 12th.

So, my next chance was to reflect on 13 Reasons Why....summer was so fun, relaxing and whatever else I could come up with.   (the 13 reasons why is also the title of a book I read awhile back, and if you have a teenager, you really should make time to read it:    fiction but interesting in terms of reading how a teenager processes what we as adults might view as only minor bumps in the road.  The story is told through the tapes left behind by a young woman who takes her own life.   Oh dear God, can we please make it through this school year without any such heartbreaking tragedies that plagued us last year).

So, I started out on the 13th at the coffee shop, waiting for my friend to join me for our early morning coffee chats.   Snapped this fun picture as I arrived 30 minutes before the time we had agreed upon.   I guess I was so eager to visit with Tracey because trust me, 0630 was early enough to meet, but 0600?   What was I thinking?

 And BAM....the next thing I realize is that the 13th has passed with just this lonely photo taken.   As soon as I got into my office at work, I just started working and really barely came up for air all week long.

The next chance could have been Sweet 16....as we did indeed have a fabulous evening with friends, feasting on prime rib and toasting Jack the birthday boy of 60...but alas, this is the only picture taken....by our friends in the car behind us.

So yes, you could pretty much say I've blown it this month.   I shall try to redeem myself next month...I promise!  

On the other hand, I have managed to complete another type of challenge.    I really like reading and so in January I challenged myself through Good Reads, to read 50 books.   Friends teased me that by December I'd be pulling out a Magic Tree House or Dr. Seuss type book just to get to that 50 mark.  

Oh yeah of little faith, I give you my completed challenge....finished in August!    Yes, more than a book a week.   

Now my next challenge should be something health related....but reading is way more fun than getting hot and sweaty.   Maybe I could read a book about exercise and that would do the trick?   Yeah, didn't think so...

And that folks is all....for now!  

July 12 on the 12th: Road tripping

 July 12th....found us on the road headed to Wisconsin.   Probably not the best time to complete my monthly challenge:     I figured between it not being the brightest idea to announce to the internet world "Hey, we aren't home" and well, how interesting is it to show the dry plains of Colorado or the corn fields of Nebraska...I have decided to modify this month's challenge.

Instead, I give you....12 (actually 13...had to have the final shot included)...memorable moments from our summer road trip adventure.


 

Long before there was "You've got mail"...there was the Pony Express.  Running for just 18 months (starting in 1860), it was a mail delivery service using horses and a series of stops or stations that ran from St. Joseph's Missouri, across the western Plains to Sacramento, CA  This particular station was donated to the city of Gothenburg Nebraska and is now a small but well maintained museum.   Can you believe it took 10 days to get a message delivered and this was considered a vast improvement to other options available at the time.  Yes, we have become spoiled with texting, email and other ways of receiving the news immediately. .

 Further on down the road, was our next 'torture the kids with education" stop.  This was at the SAC museum.  Yes, you can imagine the giggles and snickers when I told the teenagers in the car we were stopping here for a stretch break.  It stands for Strategic Air Command and is located just outside of Omaha.    The focus of this museum is bombs and the aircraft designed to transport such bombs.  

 History Lesson over, time for a snack break.   Oh would you look who is tagging along for the ride, Dom's URAL Valencia.  With temps reaching the triple digits, I know that trailering the motorcycle was the perfect solution for getting us all to Wisconsin.  Thanks to Dom's friends for loaning us their trailer.  I definitely see such a purchase in our future.

 As we continued to plug away towards our destination, we decided to take another slight detour, to see where John Wayne was born.  Just 14 miles off our planned route, we found ourselves in Winterset, IA after the museum had closed.   Oh well, maybe next time.

 Hey, would ya look at that?   John Wayne was born in Madison County, IA....yep, as in The Bridges of Madison County.  I had suggested to Dom and the boys that we visit said bridges but they all seemed cold to this idea.   Imagine my genuine surprise when we realized that the bridges were in the same place we were.  HONEST, I didn't plan or plot for this to happen....but they weren't buying this, convinced I had hatched a plan all along to make sure I got my romance fix in Madison County.

 We did park the car and stretch our legs for a bit....even with all the shops closed, the local car club was having a small show or gathering.   We searched around for a car from 1933 to show Grandpa (the reason for our trip this week is to celebrate my dad's 80th birthday) but this was the closest we found.

 Um?  Ok, this is one of the bridges in Madison County?  Yep, even I have to admit it was a bit of a disappointment.  I would later read on line that the bridge we stumbled across, Cedar Bridge was the bridge where the character Francesca would go and help the photographer Robert Kincaid take the photographs.  This was also the bridge featured in the book's cover.    Hmmm...that doesn't look right.   I continued to learn that the original bridge (which was even where Oprah Winfrey filmed an episode of her show back in 1993) was destroyed by arsonists in 2002, and what we visited was a re-build of the original bridge.  Ok, well, that makes sense...it all seemed rather new.  

We would finish up Day 2 of our drive near Ames Iowa.   We tried to find lodging closer to Des Moines but there was no room at the Inn...3 inns actually so we just kept heading north...Lucky for us we found a Super 8...price was right, even if the lobby had the distinct odor of curry....

Sunday, we headed to Waverly Iowa to visit with my dear friend Karen and her family.   I knew that her younger dog, Emma loved car rides so we were all curious to see how she did in a side car.  Word is she enjoyed the ride immensely.  

What do you think, Boyd?  URALs make for a great hobby!  

 Karen also decided to go for a spin....

Karen and I met some 5+ years ago, through an online community.  It was a wonderful treat to finally visit her in her own home, and spend some time catching up in real time!

 Day 3....yes, we are starting to at least wonder "Are we there yet?".  Just a couple more stops...

Taking my SPAM fan hubby to Mecca....if you ever pass through Austin, MN, I highly recommend this visitors center and museum...it is nicely done...

One big happy family....

We made one more stop, in Preston MN to visit my friend Amy and her family....for some reason, no cameras were pulled out...which shows how us scrapbookers are indeed slowing down when neither Amy nor myself reached for a camera...instead dedicating our few hours together to catching up.  

And finally...some 900+ miles later, some 3 days later...GPS informs us that we have reached our destination...stay tuned for more stories and pictures from our trip back home.  

Too Fast Too Soon

On Friday, this little one?  

Turned 16...

Sweet 16?   Not really, as let's just say personal hygiene is not high on his priorities.  

Mid morning, my dad called.   I assumed to wish his grandson a happy birthday.   Unfortunately, that was not the only reason he had called.     There had been a death in the family.   My Aunt Sue, recently diagnosed with liver cancer, had lost her brief but brutal battle earlier that morning.   

Yesterday, I found myself trying to compose a note of sympathy for my Cousin A.   

All that came to my mind was the idea of "too fast, too soon"

My first born is growing up too fast.   It is too soon for him to be old enough to drive and date (lucky for us, he has zero interest in either of these traditional 16 year old milestone moments).

My aunt, just shy of her 64th birthday, passed away too fast, too soon, and without a doubt too young.

When my aunt joined our family,  she brought with her two young girls.  Yes!   New cousins for us!   These two sweet girls would end up becoming two of my favorites.   Cousin Cindy  and I shared a birthday which of course bonded us in a way that the 5 year age gap really didn't seem to matter.   My cousin A. while closer in age to me, well, neither of us wouldn't really realize until we were adults how much we have in common and how much we enjoy each's others company.  

So first, let me say:  Thank you Aunt Sue for falling in love with Uncle Boo and giving us bonus cousins.

My sister and I and our newest cousins

When Aunt Sue joined our extended family, it was during a time when divorce was not as common as it is today.   And the sister-in-laws (my mom and aunt) were shall we say "not ahead of their time" in terms of accepting such a woman with a past.   It is safe to say these women were guarded in their reception of this new member to the family:  Older sisters hesitant to accept change, protective of their baby brother, and genetically wired to remain guarded for a very long time if the situation called for it.  

 There was no doubt that Aunt Sue had her work cut out for her!

Grandma Irene and her kids...Richard, Audrey, Aunt Phyllis, Uncle Boo and Aunt Sue

But that didn't stop her....nope.  Aunt Sue did not give in or give up....and she managed to win us all over with not only her quick wit, her great sense of humor and her charming smile....but mostly in her undying devotion to loving Uncle Boo!  

Aunt Sue introduces us to Baby K circa late 1974/early 1975

Baby K was born Sept '74

For in the end, the family got exactly what we needed....someone who would love Uncle Boo as much as we love him!  

Aunt Sue, you will  be forever remembered....and we will miss you deeply.   

Uncle Boo and Cousin A....we hope brighter days are in your future....

Aunt Sue snuggling with Thing 2 circa 1999

A tale of two campers

 This past weekend was the second annual CZAR rally.

     No not this type...

 More like this...

 It stands for Colorado Zidecar Adventure Riders..

and includes fellow Colorado  Uralista owners.

Yep, it's a party for Hubby and Valencia and all the others

who enjoy this style of riding.  

Each year (ok, the past 2 years, but they are on a roll), they've gathered together..

I believe "rallied" is the preferred term

 at an area campground for a weekend of fun and fellowship.

And while I really want to be a supportive wife, (and for the most part I am)
,I have come to respect my limits. 

Camping:  with bugs, non flush toilets and the potential for wildlife encounters? 

Yeah, that's pretty much where I draw the line on  my spousal support

Not gonna go there...

Although I will pose nicely for the photo op...

Roughing it for me is spotty wi-fi and a crappy continental breakfast* at the local hotel.

*which for the record, we did endure...

But these two?  

They were up for a little more adventure...

So, Friday night, I left Thing Two in the wilderness...

 and brought Thing One (content as long as his device had juice)..back with me to Gunnison

 Pausing for one last photo op of the evening

(and to let the 3 deer safely cross the road in front of me)

 The next morning, while Hubby and Thing Two took off with their crew,

Thing One and I went in search of our own adventures..

 Knights and Dragons?  

Not what I was expecting to find in the area known as

Colorado's wildflower capital...

 Ah yes, this is more like it..

We wandered around the town of Crested Butte

Or as the half asleep teenager, hopped up on benadryl 

(thanks to the plethora of bug bites he sustained during his brief foray into nature).

"What are we doing here in Crusty Butt?"

Despite his confusion, he was still a very cooperative traveling companion....

while I checked out the sites..

This would make a cool wheelchair for work..although priced WAY out of the budget

for a public school

 Soon, we headed up to the surrounding hills..

in search of wildflowers..

 And find them we did...

My mountain and wildflower fix sustained, we headed back to Gunnison to wait for the others...
Thing Two decided that one night in the woods was enough for him..
and together we headed back to the front range...
With just a few more photo op stops along the way...

All in all, a good time was had by all.
As you read this blog and marvel at the beauty we are blessed with here in Colorado,
please say a prayer for those battling the fires currently plaguing our state.
Fire Danger remains high with winds and high temperatures forecasted for this week and beyond.
Our hearts go out to those who have lost their homes and who risk their lives to
protect this beautiful state of ours.  

Every Summer has a story...

The calendar informed me that today is the first day of summer.  Really?   It seems like we've been enjoying the lazy days of summer for the past several weeks.  So, time for a quick recap...because well, without the blog, I forget what it is that we were doing during the summer of 2013...so let's start telling the stories of 

Summer 2013!

This is our first summer with two full fledged teenagers in the house:   as Thing One crossed into teen land towards the end last summer (yes, he seems like an old soul, but honestly, he is just 13). 

 When they were little, these things were just like their Mama:   they could not sleep in.  0615 was a late wake up call for them.  Friends commented "just wait, they'll be teens some day".  And sure enough, the sleep factor has arrived here at the house of Chang..

This one?

Can easily sleep until well past noon....when we let him...which I often do.  HELLO?   You don't wake sleeping babies, nor does one set off to wake a sleeping teenager unless you need to.

And what about Thing Two?  Here he sits in his pre-summer look...waiting for the doctor to come check out why he has the nosebleeds from H*LL.  

Turns out he had two blood vessels on the floor of the nose that were very close to the surface and easily irritated.  A quick cauterization, and $750 later, he's been nosebleed free for 3 weeks and counting (since we were on an every other day-with one bleed lasting 90 minutes, this was money and time well spent)

Thing Two has sported the long hair look for several years now....so I was rather surprised when he announced he wanted to go short...really short in fact...so I present to you...

the Clean Cut look of Thing Two..

Thing One decided that his brother no longer lived with us, instead, we were hosting a foreign exchange kid.

Thing Two, without missing a beat decided his exchange student name would be

 Kilometer Lee..

So, we've got nosebleeds cleared up, hair cuts done, and as you noticed on 12 on the 12th, the traveling man returned safely from Alaska.   

What else is new?  

Well, Grandpa was kind enough to give us season passes to Elitches...a locally owned amusement park. 

We've been a couple times....and the boys have had fun with their friends...

 Being Boys...

And as for me?   Well, my husband took me to court this weekend....yep, at my request....it seemed like a great way to report for Jury Duty...

 So stick around, for more summer stories yet to be experienced....