What If...?

What if you saw a bison in your backyard? Would you run outside to get a closer look, or would you stay inside? Would plant some corn so he would come back?

Sunday's Great Rewards

This was the week we were all waiting for--the opening of Grand Canyon North Rim for the season. We were all a little bit nervous, a little bit raring to go. Opening day went great. I opened at the campground, which was booked to capacity. The most difficult part of it was having to turn away those people who had no reservation.

Yesterday was my last work day for the week. I was at the entrance station and boy was it ever busy. It was after all the first Saturday of the season, and people were lined up for half a mile it seemed waiting to get in, and they all had to go by ME!

I was so tired at the end of my day, my feet hurt, my legs hurt. But, I was ecstatic! My first day on the entrance station and I remembered what to do, and did it well. One of my co-workers, who was out there to support me on my first day, told the boss she heard me giggle after each customer. One foreign guy even told me I was cute! I laughed out loud at that.

So, my reward to myself for today is that I am staying in my pajamas all day, and watching all my favorite shows on the Food Network. I have been lazing about on the sofa all day. Well, I DID get up and put a pork roast in the oven, but that is all. I am taking it easy all day, because I deserve it!

Today's Topic Of Discussion--Boots

As I was getting dressed to go to work this morning, I started thinking about my father. When I was a young girl, he would come home from work, lay down on the sofa, and call for one of his children to come in and take off his boots for him. I always hated that job. He was very particular about how to do it--you had to untie the boot strings, then take them off of all the hooks, then loosen the parts of the strings that went through the holes just so, without letting the ends come out of the first hole. Then you had to wiggle the boots back and forth until you could slip them off.

I don't know why I hated that task so much. Maybe it was the way he ordered us around while we, as small children, tried our best to do it right, so that he would not get mad. Whatever the reason, I just hated doing it.

Now that I have a job where I have to wear boots, whenever I see them on my feet, it makes me think about my old man. And I sincerely hope that I am not like him.

Monday Menu

Since the park officially opens this week, on May 15th, I am making it my goal for this week to get through the week without fear.

When I applied for this job, I read the job description several times, but I never saw anywhere that said that I would be an actual park ranger. The title for the job is Visitor Use Assistant. So, last week when we received our badges, I was a little taken aback--I am a real park ranger, with the hat and the badge to prove it. For some reason, it put a little lump of fear in the back of my throat. Not that it changed the job responsibilities in any way, it's just that is so OFFICIAL! I know I can do the job. Now I want to be the BEST at it.

So, yeah, now, my goal is to get through opening week without fear.

Sunday Great Rewards

I have been in training for my new job for two weeks. Since I spent the winter plus some, five months, doing almost nothing, it has been really hard for me to get up at a certain time and go to work. On top of that, just before we left Georgia to come to Arizona, the annual time change to Daylight Savings Time occured. Then we drove to Wichita, where we were in a different time zone for another week, then on to Arizona to yet another time zone. My body clock is so screwed up!

So, to reward myself for working so hard to learn my job, and for walking to work and back, and for eating less and losing 10 pounds, I am rewarding myself today in several ways.

1. I slept late. I slept until I woke up. That seems like such a luxury, even though I got up at 8:00 a.m.

2. I am having two cups of coffee with chocolate coffee mate. Not sugar-free, full blown sugar.

3. I am driving up to Cape Royal with my friend Sally. It is supposed to be one of the two best view-points of the Grand Canyon on this side. Jim has been up there already, and he said you can see the whitewater on the Colorado River from there. I can hardly wait!

4. I am having black bean and shrimp nachos for lunch.

All this may seem like too much of a reward for just doing my job in life, but, hey, I am the one who gets to make the rules.

What Does It Matter If -

I skip blogging today?

Well, it doesn't. Not really. But it does mean that I probably won't do it tomorrow either. Or the next day or the day after that and before I know it, it's been weeks. "But, I've just been so busy", I tell myself.

Well, the inertia ends now. I've got to tell all or I will forget and God knows we can't have that!

Ken and I have, actually, been very busy. We both started exercising and have been running a few times a week for about a month now - the last two weeks, we've been going to the park nearby and running on the trails. It's so much more fun than running in the gym or on a track. It's like playing tag, really. We have yet to lose an ounce between us, but I know we are better off for it.

We went to Charleston a few weeks ago and stayed with a friend of his. While we were there, another of his friends did my hair. She cut and dyed it and when she styled it, she used a flat iron - I just started crying when I saw it and sobbed out, "I look so pretty!" She just stared at me for a minute and then said, "I think I might cry now too." My hair stayed straight for about 3 hours before Ken and I got caught in a rainstorm walking around downtown Charleston. It curled right back up!

Ken was a sweetheart (as usual) and was patient while I visited a yarn shop of all things. He actually scheduled in time for it on Sunday and then we walked around for almost an hour trying to find it. When we finally did it was closed on Sundays! But he made sure we came back Monday before we left to come back home and he didn't even rush me while I fondled all the lovely soft fiber. He just said, "Take your time, I know how much you love this stuff." Is that a great guy or what?!

On the home front, I've been knitting up a storm. The yarn shop in Tuscaloosa has challenged the shop in Auburn to a Yarn Bowl knit off. Basically knitters (or crocheters) can support either school by sending in handmade preemie caps for charity by the date of the Iron Bowl (the Alabama/Auburn football game), and the shop that collects the most caps wins bragging rights. I found out about it a little over a week ago and have finished 4 so far - I can't just let Auburn win, now can I?


I also started writing articles on Arts and Crafts for Kids for The Fun Times Guide. I wrote 5 of them in the last week of April, and have more planned - I just need to take the photos for them. It's nice to feel like I am doing something related to art teaching, even if I don't have the interaction with the kids. It's also really nice to get paid for it!

Softball season has started again, too, and I am playing with the same team - after the support in the ER, I couldn't abandon them for some Hampton upstarts. We have played 2 double headers and have won all 4 games. I'm way out in right field, so no worries there. Unfortunately, I think I am more afraid of the ball than I thought. I have struck out or fouled out on every at bat so far, and at Wednesdays game, Ken took pictures of me batting. When I looked at the pictures later, my eyes were closed! No wonder I can't hit the ball! So, I am going to head to the batting cages to see if I can remedy the problem. I can't let the ball win either!

What Does It Matter...

if you pay your bills late just this once? yeah, they all want a late fee, and may charge more in financing, but little do they know, you are going to pay them off by the end of the summer! The bastards!