Snip, Snip, Stick....

This past weekend involved a quest for a car mirror after the garage doorway reminded me who is in charge, three adorable weenie dogs and a bunch of fresh air. When greeted with a monsoon on Monday, I decided to hunker down and be a bit creative....

Instrument and Pony got their own pages.....I also scrapped the big events of the first part of 2009 - VT ski trip, TGHH, East Side Restaurant, Virginia....and even Delavegas ......it was done very...umm...tastefully....

Brick By Brick.…

We all hate feeling emotionally vulnerable…

So we build a fortress to protect ourselves.......

Then someone comes along and you decide that it would be worth it to knock down a small part of the wall and peek out….

Most times you put the wall right back up and re-secure the fortress......



But sometimes, you take down a few more bricks…..

You see what happens…

Then you find yourself knocking down some more....



Removing the bricks scares me…

But right now, putting them back up is not even being considered.....

Summer Wine....

Oh the purr of his voice....I had to pull this out of the vaults...

Yeah, this has everything to do with the fact that Ville Valo will be on the same soil as me....and that there is a bunch of stuff to look forward to this summer.....

Ruh-Roh....

How to end up in trouble really quickly......






Paws off the New Moon DVD!! Especially Edward's face!!!

Batmaaaannnn.....(Part 2)...

It’s no secret that I miss my friends and vice versa – getting to see them for a whole bunch of silly fun made for a fantastic weekend!! Even though we were down a friend (and her cardboard cut out), we still had a blast.

Wii Party - I got the bonus of seeing one herd of CT friends on Friday night. Somehow I ended up with the master controller during Super Mario Bros. and got everyone killed (several times)!!

“Poker Face” was played a bunch of times in the many, many ways that is available on Youtube…..except the original…..

Fun Texts – because even when you are away, a silly text makes it not seem as far…..

Second Weekend Bonus – stopping at a friend’s wine shop and chatting about life, plugs and wine…..

Driving Topless – prompting a FB comment of “false advertising”. The Jeep Wrangler is such a bad-ass vehicle – you sit higher than the majority of the other cars on the road and realize that you could run over them at any time….we sang our lungs out on the drive up to NH and enjoyed the stares that we got…..yup, car load of kick ass girls – get out of our way!!

My friend’s husband was a great sport during New Moon and did not groan too much at being subjected to “REWIND THAT!! Play it in SLOW motion!!!” as we watched the jailbait yumminess that is Jacob….(he had the remote)

Not having to yell “Sparkle, damnit!” at the cupcakes because they already looked like disco balls….

Staying true to every other time that I have seen New Moon, I squealed “PUPPY!!” when the first wolf was revealed….

Presents!! Even though it was not my b-day, I still got some! An “All Crazy” CD, candy cane pens that I am using now even though it’s March….and a shirt that says “I love Midget Porn”….I wore that for about five minutes before choking/snarfing wine all over it….luckily Tide was available and the stains came out!

And when others are trying to fall asleep, there is not much else to do but start in with “Batmaann….”, “Candy Gram”, “What’s that light? There’s an alien in the room!!”, “I need a drink of water!!”, etc. only to find out that they all have TV’s on and no one can hear you and your roomate….but we laughed anyway….

Leaving was sad – but not the same all consuming pain that I have when I leave Florida since I know that I will see them all again soon!

Overall I know that I am where I need to be right now and that they are all just a quick road trip away….and that is a good thing.....

Batmaaaannnn.....

For your entertainment (and mine)…..Three videos that tie back to this weekend....while I figure out how to write the blog entry to sum up this weekend….

Stickers....

He has been relocated, but there was a porcupine wandering around Telluride, CO!!

Fed by people at the ski area, Stickers (fantastic name!!) ended up having no fear of people....

Happy St Patty's Day!!

Nom, Sparkle, Nom....

"I longed to be released from it. I wanted to lose it all... my wealth, my estate, my sanity. Most of all, I longed for death. I know that now. I invited it. A release from the pain of living. My invitation was open to anyone. To the whore at my side. To the pimp that followed. But it was a vampire that accepted it." Louis - Interview With The Vampire

For some reason this quote has been floating through my head. I have this thing with wearing my hair up.....I see it as an invite to any vampire.....or wannabe vampire...


It's the extra loop of hair that does it....I don't feel the same with only a pony tail....it has to be a fully pulled up in a clip......

Sombrero Wearing Mole Rat...

The weekend started with going to see “Alice in Wonderland” – the movie was incredible!!! I ended up playing “Find the Hidden Hearts in the Red Queen’s Castle” for most of the movie – the level of detail is insane.

It was great until the very end of the movie when fire alarm went off and we had to pile outside in the wind and rain…where stupid people made stupid choices in the parking lot…..seriously, what is it with people and having to leave “RIGHT NOW THIS VERY SECOND – GET OUTTA MY WAY”!! Can’t you wait 10 minutes in the car?

And then Saturday I braved the elements to drive to Pennsyl-tucky. (actually I can’t mock this area of Pennsylvania, it’s very civilized and everyone has all their teeth….)

Staying true to a new motto of “There should always be a sombrero involved”, I made a new friend…..

One of our hosts braved the weather to grill dinner….it was more like he was playing “Deadliest Catch” between the wind and rain that was coming in sideways….but he was out there grilling and singing the show's theme song!

Karaoke time consisted of a whole bunch of laughs and some boozy harmony from me….all that singing in the car actually payed off!

And this part should ALWAYS be shouted....


By the end of the night, the guitar and folk songs made an appearance….staying true to our culture, we can not resist a sing-a-long!!!

After sleeping on the comfiest couch on the planet with a pillow fill of “aija zu zu”, I got to enjoy some cheesesteak goodness before heading home.

Due to the flooding, I had to take the long way to drive home, but it took me past the spot where the Mary Murray ferry used to be…so weird to not see it there anymore….

And oh yeah……Shenanigans…..just because it needs to be said…..

Disclaimers....

Spend any amount of time with me and you will experience one of my disclaimers.....

I just have to add them on to everything....it's automatic...

I was considering writing a full blog entry about what bugged me but honestly, I was more mad at myself for letting it affect me in the first place.....

There are a million better uses for my energy....and other people that deserve my attention.....

And this is not a disclaimer about yesterday......ok well it is....but not really.....

Hugs...

Somedays you just need a hug….

It may not fix things in any way shape or form….but it helps….

There are the times that you need one and may not know it….

Or you may need one and not ask for one…..

Whatever the case, a hug goes a long way.....

I know that I am not alone in this thought stream….

And yes...today was a "I just need a hug" day......

*Poof*

WHY, WHY, WHY do people come out of the woodwork when you least expect them to????

You're happy doing your own thing and BAM!!! they reappear.....

GAH!!!

Go away, go away, go away....Just go away already!!!

Siblings...

All plans change...this morning it changed when my brother called...

No drama or anything, just a “I was going to do this, but instead I am perfectly content to chat with you for the next hour and a half”…..

I know that I am lucky - we would drop everything and help each other...

And he has been one of my loudest cheerleaders and strongest supports through the crap that I had been wading through…..

I can't understand how some people can be nasty towards their siblings....I am very glad (and thankful) that I don't have that situation!

"Our Heaven Is Worth The Waiting"....

Waiting for them to tour again is the hardest part.....Haul out the Heartagrams - H.I.M. is coming to my side of the US this spring!!!

One benefit to the band not being that popular.....smaller venues....

Downside is that those venues do not always sell tickets online....

The Ginger Pirate....

Here is Sunday's outdoor adventure from a different perspective......

Say "Hello" to The Ginger Pirate!

http://snowshoeabletruth.blogspot.com/

Firsts.....Definitely Not Lasts....

The entire weekend was a series of firsts....and I don't think that they will be lasts.....

I snowshoed across a frozen lake.....

Hiked almost 6 miles....at one point I entertained the idea of wussing out on the home stretch...very glad that I had a nudge not to....

Made dinner with the assistance of child who has become quite a character....and I was dubbed fun enough to be asked to play after dinner went int othe oven! (I got to be a vet!!)

My sing-songy "Good Night, XXXX" received the same sing-songy reply of "Good Night...You!!" (his approach of "well, I don't remember her name so I'll just say "You"" is still cracking me up)

Found out that there are children's books about hoes...the garden tool....but who can read that with a straight face??

And it's not a first but I do enjoy the oportunity to turn the camera on the photographer...

It was a fun weekend....the whole sequence of events continues to fuel the positive energy that I have regained.....it truly amazes me at how much has happened in the short time that I have been back in the area...

Ink & Paper...

I have mentioned it before...I have a journal entry (paper and ink) for every day since I was thirteen....(oh, the angst.....oh, the heartbreak....oh, the giddiness...oh, the WTF was I thinking!!)

In the past two years, I have had journal writer's block....partially to protect myself but also because there was SO much to write about and it was tough to corral it all in one siting....

With time the emotions have changed and everything is more manageable....I have a bunch of notes that I could expand on if I wanted to but why dredge up the pain just so that it can be chronicled?

Is it silly to keep the goal of having an entry every day?

Should I scale back to just writing about big events?

Or when the mood strikes me?

Think...think...think...

Inspiration....

A while ago, in a previous job title, I met a very cool graphic designer and we reconnected through the Facebook about a year ago....

In the years since we originally met, we have had the ususal life changes - some good, some bad.....but he has also transformed into an inspirational athlete who does all the running and biking that I will never do!! (as I have joked before, I need to be chased by a man with a chainsaw in order to run....)

He's currently training for the MS150 so he has been posting fun videos. (and there's a bonus for those of you that like techno!) Check out his blog - http://www.erichenao.com/

If you would like to donate, here's the direct quote from him "Remember folks, I ride because people with MS can’t. The money you donate to my page, goes to developing research to finding a cure to beat MS. Give what you can, and I’ll keep riding!" http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/eric.henao "

Yak, Yak, Yak, Yak, Yak....

So...what did I do Sunday? Snow kayaking!!!

But what to call it....Snowaking? Snyaking?

Well, as long as there is no real yacking, I am ok with whatever it is called...


We actually had more fun than the kids sledding next to us...proving that adults are big kids, just with bigger and better toys....

And I had the easiest set of directions to follow during set-up. I asked how I could help...."Just stand there and look pretty." w00t! I'm a shoe-in for the "Best Helper Ever" award!