Indian Paintbrush

My mom absolutely loved wildflowers. If you had asked her what her favorite flower was, wildflowers would have been her response. She loved anything that grew wild in nature.

Her favorite wildflower was the Indian Paintbrush.  Whenever I see one now it reminds me of her, and I think about all of the memories that I have of my childhood when we would stop to pick one anytime we saw them.  It didn't matter if we were camping or driving through the canyon, she would always stop. Her favorite thing to do was take them home and press them, but the first thing she would do was take a small piece of the flower and stick it behind my ear. Every time.  

In Moab, the desert is sprinkled with Indian Paintbrush. Every time I saw one while we were out on the trails I had an urge to get out of the Jeep and take a picture.  After the first twenty, I started to realize that it was a little excessive, so I stopped.  It's funny how the little things in life make you remember the ones that we've lost.  To anyone else it's just a little red flower, but to me it's so much more than that.  It's like having a little piece of her there.

Inconsistencies

Last night after Brett got home from work we decided it was time for a snack, so we headed off to Smith's Marketplace down the street from our house. Brett grabbed a six pack and I got some ice cream. Quick trip to the store, and we'd be on our way in a matter of minutes.

Or not.

We got up to the self check out to pay, and when the machine prompted, the cashier working in that area came over to check Brett's ID. After handing his ID to her, she turned to me and asked for mine as well. I told her that I didn't have my ID with me, and she quickly advised us that she could not sell us the beer if we didn't both have our drivers licenses with us.

In the three years that this store has been open, we have never had this problem. Usually they ask the person who is purchasing the beer and that is it. In a few instances I have even been by myself buying beer and the cashier has not asked me for my ID at all. When we brought this to the cashiers attention she still wouldn't budge.

Management was involved and the cashier and managers that we were speaking with kept referring to the fact that they couldn't sell the beer to us due to a state law that prohibited it if we didn't both have ID.

We ended up leaving, sans beer, to go home and get my ID so that I could abide by their rules and prove that I was, in fact, old enough to buy beer.

We wouldn't want to break any laws now, would we?

Upon returning to the store after retrieving my ID, we gathered our items again and headed back up to the front to pay. When we got up to the cash registers, we chose another line to go through so that we didn't have to talk to the previous cashier again. She had been a real bitch, and I wasn't in the mood to hear more of her shit.

We put the beer and ice cream on the belt and waited our turn to pay. When we approached the register we were greeted by the new cashier and she began ringing up our items. She asked Brett for his ID and then continued to ring us up. Without asking me for my ID.

Before the transaction was complete, the cashiers phone rang. When she picked it up, we knew exactly what was happening. The managers that we had spoken with earlier, who were standing up at the front of the store, were apparently panicking because they knew that she hadn't ID'd both of us.

I was so pissed. I had gone home, and come back to the store because I was assured that there was no other way for us to leave that store with a six pack in hand.

Then the new cashier went ahead and totally proved us right.

As mad as I was that they had wasted 45 minutes out of my day, I couldn't have been happier with the outcome. We ended up taking the phone number of their store director and you better believe that he will be hearing about the way that we were treated by his employees.

Music in my soul

Last night we met up with Chaz and Shay downtown for the U2 concert. 

When we walked into the stadium, the stage was so massive that it took my breath away.

Not only was their stage enormous, but the colors on the whole thing changed for every song they sang and the big circular screen in the middle was on tracks moving up and down for the latter half the show. The visual of it all was so amazing.

It's a Beautiful Day

Tonight we will be joining Chaz and Shay for the U2 concert.

I have always liked U2, but I wouldn't say that I'm a die hard fan. It just seems like one of those shows that I would regret passing up. From what I have heard, they put in an amazing performance and I am so excited to see it.

It also doesn't hurt that The Fray, who I happen to love, is their opening act.

Mashed Potato

We went on a trail called the mashed potato on our second day in Moab.  I thought that it was a really fun trail, but the ass end of my Jeep would probably disagree with me.  There were so many steep spots to go down, that I had a hard time not slamming my hitch on the rocks as we would come off of them.  I even got a small dent in my tail pipe.  I've gotta tell you, when we bought this Jeep we had every intention of making a rock crawler out of her, but it made me cringe every time I heard the sound of metal grinding on rock.

I will learn to get over it, I'm sure.  

I know that I have said this about twelve thousand times already, but the pictures just don't do it justice!  Watching Chaz maneuver over these massive rocks was purely amazing.  I cannot wait for the day that Millie can do half the shit Culpepper does.  I was in awe the whole time we were there about what these vehicles are capable of.  

A friend of Mike's came down with his girlfriend, Newland and they rented a Jeep for a few days.  He looks just like Dexter, and that is all Shay and I were calling him the whole time they were there.  To this day I can honestly tell you that I have no clue what his real name is.  Is that rude?  Sorry Dexter.

Also, do you have any idea how hard it is to get a picture with 8 adults looking at the camera at the same time?  It's impossible.  That's why one or more of us is looking the wrong way in every attempt we made.  This was the best we could do.

Phone Etiquette

I work in a job where I am on the phone all day.  The one prominent thing that I have learned from working in this field is that there are a lot of people who don't have very good phone etiquette.  A lot.

Here are some pointers for you if you are one of these people:

1. If you are calling someone on the phone, don't stick food in your mouth right before they pick up.  It's gross.
2. If you are talking to someone on the phone, and they are in the middle of a sentence, let them finish what they have to say before you start talking.  Cutting people off is fucking rude.
3. Don't breath heavy into the phone.
4. Don't start your conversation off by yelling at the person who picked up the phone.  Chances are, whatever you are pissed off about is not their fault.
5. Don't have side conversations with your co-workers.
6. If you called me, don't put me on hold right after I answer the phone.

This shit happens on a daily basis. 

Lost*

I can feel the cold, frigid air falling in around me,
it's my least favorite thing, snow.
Yet I'm surrounded by it,
where am I? I don't know...

I cry out for someone to bring me warmth,
but there is no one around to hear.
I can barely see through the blizzard of snow,
nothing in front of me is clear.

I don't know which way is North or South,
if only I could tell them apart.
As I start to think that I may never get home,
I have a sinking sensation in my heart.

I am shuffling my feet through the blanket of snow,
just trying to push my way through.
I keep trying to figure out how I got here,
and what I am going to do.

As I continue moving on,
the darkness around me grows thicker.
I want so badly to get home,
I can feel my feet moving quicker.

As I'm walking I suddenly feel myself fall,
but before I reach the ground.
My muscles jolt and my eyes shoot open,
I take a second to look around.

It takes me a minute to catch my breath,
as I try to take it all in.
Just moments ago I was lost in the cold,
but now things look familiar again.

It seems that the night is over,
and the light of the day is moving on.
The sun shines bright through the window now,
and the darkness appears to be gone.


*a poem that I wrote sometime last year

Magnificent

Brett and I have lived in Utah all of our lives and I honestly don't know how it is possible that we had not yet been to see the delicate arch before this trip to Moab.  It is one of Utah's most well known landmarks and people come from all over the world to see it, yet we have lived literally right around the corner from it for more than 26 years and have never taken the short venture to see it in person.

I think that it definitely proves that we, as human beings, take things for granted on a daily basis.  We think that just because something so magnificent is sitting in our backyard means that we have an excuse not to take the time to admire it.

The arch is honestly one of the most amazing sights that I have ever seen, and I cannot wait to go back.  It's a gorgeous hike, which doesn't take long at all and when you come around the corner and see the arch standing there in all of it's glory it literally takes your breath away.  I could not believe how massive it was and still, as the name suggests, so delicate.

{Brett, Kaylyn, Shay, Chaz, Mike and Kate}

{The delicate arch}

{Indian paintbrush}

I can honestly tell you that I have never been so totally amazed by anything.  Ever.  The pictures don't do it justice.

Rocked My World

One of my favorite trails in Moab is Hell's Revenge.  It was a great mix of hard obstacles and amazing scenery.  There was never a dull moment on this trail, and I can honestly say that there were a few times that I really thought I might die.  Gladly, no one was injured in the making of this blog post.

This is Hell's Gate.  A few weeks before we were set to leave for Moab, Chaz started emailing me links for YouTube videos of various trails telling me how awesome it was going to be to take my Jeep on them.  The first video that he sent me was one of someone trying to crawl up Hell's Gate.  Trying, and then failing and rolling down the hill.  Needless to say, Millie didn't attempt this one. 

 This place is seriously breathtaking!  Everywhere you look there is a different kind of terrain.  For most of our visit the weather was extremely cooperative.  It rained the first two days, and then the sun came out and didn't go away.  If I didn't have any responsibilities in life, I would take my husband and run away to the desert.

Entitlement

There is a long bridge between generational gaps.

There is a younger, female, member of our family who has been causing some serious problems lately for those around her, us included.

About two years ago, mid summer, the trouble started when said family member stole my car. She was only 15 and didn't have her license at the time. Out of respect for her parents we called the police, but chose not to press charges. We knew that if we pressed charges the people that would be most negatively affected would be her mom and dad. They would've been stuck paying her fines, and we didn't feel that would be fair to them.

After the initial shock of what had happened her parents carried out her punishment and the law was never officially involved. It seemed like things were going well and the incident was nearly forgotten.

Fast forward to this past February.

One day Brett and I noticed that there were a few things missing from our house. Naturally my mind shot straight to the car thief. Instead of just outright accusing her, I asked her if she had taken the missing items.  I wanted to give her the opportunity to tell the truth, but she flat out denied it. She lied right to my face without even blinking an eye. Then had the audacity to tell me that she refused to stand there and be accused of something she didn't do. 

After acquiring the proof that I needed to be sure that she was the one who had taken the items in question, we changed the locks on our house. We wanted to make sure this wasn't going to happen again.

I have never been in a situation where I have had my privacy so violated. It is a truly disgusting feeling.

Since all of this has unfolded there have been a few more incidences that have taken place and I have had some brief communication with her. She is delusional. She is under the impression that she has done nothing wrong. Nothing to violate my privacy. Nothing that I have the right to be upset about. She conjured up a story in her head to make me the villain, and she genuinely believes it.  It's really sad.  She has burned that bridge, and I am not interested in repairing it.

Here's what I want to know: what the fuck happened to the generation that followed mine to make them feel so god damn entitled?

They are lazy, and believe that the world should be handed to them on a silver platter. I don't know about you, but I think it's bullshit and I refuse to buy into it!

Adventures

During one of the aforementioned weekends that I spent hanging out with Shay while the guys were slaving away on the Jeep, we decided that we would go see a movie.

After reading through the list of movies that were playing at the theater around the corner from her house we decided on Arthur.

Both Shay and I are fans of comedy, and especially when it's inappropriate comedy. Who is more inappropriate than Russell Brand, you ask? No one.

We arrived about ten minutes before the show was supposed to start and ordered a smorgasbord of junk from the concession stand then made our way to our seats. We were the first people in the theater, so we had our pick of any seats in the house. After we sat down, we started chatting and shortly after, the previews started to roll. It was then that we realized that we were still the only two people in the theater.

We automatically turned into the equivalent of small children and started talking loudly, running around from seat to seat and, of course, doing cartwheels down the center aisle.

We even thought to make a video:

We had a great time acting ridiculous, and the movie was good.  All in all, it was a success.

The Time We Almost Didn't Go To Moab

Holy shit. 

Moab is amazing!

Millie did so awesome. Seriously. There were some trails that we went on that totally made my butt hole pucker, and I never thought we would make it out alive. But you guys, we did it!  We lived.

I think that the proper way to start out the Moab posts, because there is just too much to cram into one, would be to introduce you to the Sargent.  Sargent Culpepper is Chaz and Shay's Jeep.  It is a loyal Wrangler that Chaz has had since he was in high school

About two months before we were set to leave for Moab, Chaz got a wild hair up his ass and decided that he wanted to take Culpepper's four cylinder engine out and swap it for a V8.  Brett nor Chaz had ever done such a thing, but they both thought, "fuck it, why not?". 

Chaz had purchased an old Durango with some body damage so that he could gut it and replace all of Culpepper's insides with the ones that used to reside in the Durango.  Sounds like a great plan to everyone, and the work begins. 

Here is what it looked like under the hood before they got started:

And here is the progress after removing the old four banger:

In order to get the new engine in Brett had to cut the old engine mounts out so that Chaz's cousin could come weld some new ones in the right place:

Here's the new engine softly nestled into its new home:

And last, but not least, here is what Shay's kitchen table looked like for the majority of the month of April:

I know what you are asking yourself right now.  Why is it so important to share this information with you before I can tell you about our trip and all of its Glory?

Because with such a large project in so little time, two months before our trip, we almost didn't get to go.

Brett and I went up to the Schlange's house every weekend so that Brett could help Chaz out with the engine.  It was all going really well, and they thought that they had given themselves plenty of time. I enjoyed our weekly adventures because I got to spend a few days every week with my BFF.  It was truly refreshing.  Who cares if the drive was monotonous, we had a hell of a time!

When it hit crunch time they started having some issues with the wiring harness. The fucking thing would start, but it was only firing four of the eight cylinders.  Something was wrong, and Chaz didn't know how to fix it. 

Two days before we were set to leave, Chaz decided that it was time to call in the pro's.  He took it to the shop and basically told the mechanic that it didn't matter what it took, he just wanted Culpepper runninig before Moab.  It had to be on the trailer in 48 hours.

I was so worried that we weren't going to go that I didn't start packing because I was afraid that I'd be wasting my time.  I had convinced myself that it wasn't happening, just so that I wouldn't get my hopes up.  I was devestated.  I'm sure that the sadness being experienced by Chaz and Shay was 100 times worse, but it was hard for me to recognize at the time.

After convincing myself that Moab was not going to happen I was at work when I received this text from Shay:

"Hey! He's back in business!"

Relief!! The next day, our adventure began.  Stay tuned.....

Security Blanket

Just after I had left home this morning to head to work I realized that I didn't have my cell phone with me.

I hate that feeling.

I instantly flipped around to go back for it. When I opened the door, Brett was already standing there with it in his hand, waiting. He had noticed it was still sitting on the table and tried to catch me, but I had already gone too far. It was as if he had read my mind, and knew that I would be returning.

Isn't it funny to stop and think that there was once a time when no one carried a cell phone in their pocket, and if you had an emergency while you were on the freeway you had to wait for someone to stop and offer their assistance? I cannot imagine how life would be if that were still the case.

I use my phone for a plethora of things, but communicating with my loved ones conveniently is definitely my number one reason for having it. I have already sent multiple text messages to my husband and best friend today. If I hadn't turned around to go home for my phone, I would feel so lost.