Day #278 - Surprise Gifts

Several weeks ago I got a call from Mike Smith, Debi's husband. Apparently, he had stumbled upon a bike statue he felt Travis might like and had the idea to prepare a plaque to attach to it with Trav's Point 2 Point time on it and then give it to him for his Birthday since we would be out there at the right time. I about DIED with gratitude and excitement and promised to send the race results to him, which I did.

When I walked into their house on Sept. 21st I immediately spied the prize. They had set it on their shelf as a decoration to see if he would notice it and say something. I saw him look at it as he set down his bag, but he didn't say anything. Later that night, when Debi found out it was ACTUALLY his Birthday and not the day after (we arrived a day earlier then planned), she told Travis they had a present for him, but he had to guess what it was.

Travis grinned, stood up and walked into the house and straight to the statue. When he realized it was engraved he actually blushed with pleasure and then we all gushed for the next hour over the statue, over Trav's amazing accomplishment, over the fantastic friends we have that thought of such an amazing tribute.

I think Mike put it best when he said, "you have never received a birthday present from us before and you probably won't see one again, but this just seemed right for you...so we HAD to get it."

I don't know if they HAD to get it, but the point is they did...it was so fun to anticipate the gift they planned for him, have a TINY part in getting the info together for them and then to be there when he received it. It definitely went over better than the Road ID I got for him...total dud, but it makes me feel better that someone would know who to call if he ran into trouble while on a ride, so that is something.

The statue is even better then I imagined it would be - take a look:

Wish I would have thought of that!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Mike and Debi - YOU ARE THE BEST!!!!

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives roses."  ~Chinese Proverb

Day #277 - I'm Baaaaack

I just got back from being in Denver for a week. We actually got back yesterday and I was so exhausted I went to bed at 8:30 and slept for 9.5 hours straight...it was lovely. We had a really good time visiting with Mike and Debi and I will be blogging about various things over the next week, but I have to say I am SOOOO grateful I have places to put my dog while we are away from home.

I normally have my brother and sister-in-law (Jas & Mel) watch him. I was trying to call Mel to see if we could drop him off to hang out with their dog for a week but couldn't get through. Then I called my sister Amy about something else and she said she would be happy to take Bart. I always worry about that because of her small kids and my dog's unpredictable nature, but we decided to leave him with Amy this past week.

There was a tiny incident between Bart (grumpy old man) and Elle (2 year old) - Lance saw the two were playing well together "Bart was wearing a necklace and Elle was petting and talking to him, but when Elle tried to pierce his ears, Bart nipped at her". Amy suggested he intervene at "necklace" the next time. Other than that, the kids took Bart on a small walk each day, Bart was enthralled with the rabbits and chickens, licked his paws incessantly (just as he would at home) and for the most part seemed to be happy when he came home.

Travis and I were talking this morning about how maybe Bart is less than excited to be home with us sad sacks when he could be hanging out with 3 energetic kids. I am just so grateful he had a safe, friendly place to be while we were away.

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "The best way to get a puppy is to beg for a baby brother — and they'll settle for a puppy every time." Winston Pendleton

Day #276 - Pan

Tomorrow is Trav's Birthday (Pan - sounds like 'pawn' is his Chinese name). Since I have written 10 things I love about my siblings on their birthday's, I figure I can probably come up with a few things I love about my husband. We will be on the road tomorrow without access to computers for a few days, so I thought I would take tonight to make my list.

1 -  AMAZING SENSE OF HUMOR - This is one of the first things I found attractive about Travis - those laughing blue eyes and his gorgeous smile. Trav is an expert at ALL kinds of humor. Where my style is more sarcastic and often self depreciating, Travis can also be subtle, blunt, obvious, serious, boisterous, etc. He can find humor in most situations and I love that about him.

2 - DEEP CHARACTER - I can't think of another way to explain it. One example is how a friend of ours is having trouble with his relationship and instead of telling that friend, "that is normal, Heather drives me crazy all the time." He said, "That is normal, I drive Heather crazy all the time." I am sure the former is totally true, but I think I smiled all night after he told me that. I am not even sure if he realizes he does things like that, but he does it all the time; it is a subtle way that he honors me and I appreciate it more than he knows.

3 - SLEEVE FEELINGS - Travis wears his feelings on his sleeve; everything is just out there for anyone to see. Travis cares deeply for his friends and family and when he gets hurt you know it. If you know who Travis is, it is easy to respond to the glaring farmer tan because he is not shy about showing it off - stripped bare. I think one of the reasons we have been together for so many years is his ability to share what he is feeling. I hope he will always do this with me.

4 - MORNING/EVENING SIT DOWNS - Travis is an early to bed, early to rise kind of guy. He always gets up and gets the house moving before I do and has a built-in alarm system. The best part of my mornings is sitting with him outside when the weather permits it. Sometimes we have a lot to say and sometimes we really just sit there. I just love starting my morning with Travis and I will miss it when I start going to the gym in the mornings when I get back from Denver (yes, I am putting it out there). We will still have our evening sits, but I will really miss it.

5 - STRONGSTER - My Goodness, my man is motivated this year. I am so impressed with the goals he has set for himself and how hard he has worked to achieve them. I have written posts about several of them, but I hope he knows how inspiring he is to me. He is in the best shape of his life and is already thinking of what he wants to achieve next - SOOO proud of him...AND he has the strongest best looking legs around.

6 - SUPPORTSTER - I was doing the whiny wife impression the other night and brought up how he didn't go to my marathon in HI several years ago and he reminded me how he helped me raise all the money so I could go with 'Team in Training'...Oh yeah...Travis worked with me at every fund raiser I had so I could raise the $3,500 I pledged to raise for that run. A few years ago when I was doing 'Relay for Life' Travis helped with garage sales, set ups and take downs, hugs and pep-talks that kept me going. Travis is moral support for my bad days as well...there are days when all I can think about is getting home to Travis so I can feel better.

7 - PATIENCE - I am not sure I can say he is ALWAYS patient, but just the other day I backed my car into a poll (story at another time) and I didn't tell him about it right away. He saw it and came up to me asking if I had seen the car? 'What do you mean?' "someone crashed into the bumper" "WHAT? Really?"...pause in the conversation..."oh honey, did you back into something?" He immediately asked if I was ok and then gave me a hug saying "I'm sorry that happened to you". I think this was a very courteous and thoughtful response to my moronic driving.

8 - GETS IT DONE - I love and sometimes hate this about Travis. I mostly love it because once Travis gets going on something...watch out - he is a whirlwind and wants to get it out of the way of enjoying the rest of his day. The other day Travis called my sister to see when he could come help them move. This made me so happy because I couldn't be there due to work and my impending 5 day vacation (more at a later date). He doesn't like to sit around on the job either - if he is there to move you, get busy moving boxes.

9 - KIDS & ANIMALS - Travis LOVES babies and all my nieces and nephews. I so wish I could have given him one of his own, but am also gratified that he is so great with the children we do have in our lives. I include animals in the same section, because our dog Bart is now 14 years old and Travis still treats him like a puppy and is so sweet to him, well, except when he chews on his paws.

10 - I love that Travis picked ME - of all people, Travis decided I was the one. Just as my life turned out differently than I expected, so has his and he still chooses to be my husband after 17 years. How can I not love that about him.

Sometimes Trav actually reads my blog as well and I hope he reads it tomorrow so he can review just a few things I find amazing about him. I am so glad he was born!!

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "Inside every older person is a younger person – wondering what the hell happened."

Day #275 - Silly Suds

On Saturday I got to go be the support to Travis, Matt Reed and Kim Brown at the bike race called "The Tour de Suds". This is the 31st year and lots of people dress up in costumes and ride the 6 miles up a trail called, you guessed it, "Tour de Suds".

I was happy Matt and Kim decided to race with Travis - I think they had a great time and I am pretty happy they did the whole ride. Kim hasn't been on a mountain bike for 6 years and she made it to the top...very nice. I took lots of photos to share.

Travis is wearing the old stand by "Deputy J. Dangle" costume. We had to cut up one of his pair of bike shorts so he could ride in those things. The best part is the farmer tan and the hair that starts just below the shorts...Amy didn't wax higher then necessary for the regular bike shorts.

Here are some of the other costumes people wore:

I was also impressed by a guy who rode the whole race on a unicycle - can you imagine? And there was also a tandem bike - who ever heard of a tandem mountain bike? How do you do switchbacks?

Here is Travis at the finish...NICE...:0

After the race we went to get their free lunch at the Silly Market. The Silly Market runs every Sunday in Park City at the bottom of Main Street. I went one time last year and I think it has grown since. There are TONS of booths, food and music. We were all tired from the race (Ok they were tired) so we didn't really look much, but it made me want to go back. It is very festive:

I am happy to report, Travis took 2nd place in the costume contest...the Chicken won the overall contest. I have to say I admire the bird...MAN that would be unbearably HOT!!

It was a good day and fun to get out, enjoy the sunshine and do something different.

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: “The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'.”

Day #274 - Cramps

I know...why would I be happy to have cramps? Because I very rarely have them and it is good to be normal for once. I was super irritated at first, but then I talked myself thru it. There are many reasons to be grateful for monthly cramps:

a) Better chance to have kids if you are regular
b) Hormones are more regular and there is less chance for disease in your girl parts
c) Excuse to call in sick...does that even fly?
d) Excuse to be mean (unfortunately I feel like I should use this as an excuse for the last few days...will THAT fly?)

Anyway, here is one more example of how adversity creates opportunity to recognize the blessing.

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "Personally I think birthdays and anniversaries are like menstrual cramps, a regular pain in the a** that's somehow connected to birth." Hugh Elliott 

Day #273 - Left Overs

I have had writer's block for the last two days until I was in bed last night and I remembered how happy I was that Trav and I managed to eat a whole Turkey Breast by ourselves. Not in one sitting, of course, but in various ways over about 7 days.

I love left overs - Travis doesn't really love them, but he does love Turkey in all forms. We had a typical turkey dinner the first night, then turkey sandwiches, turkey w/rice and vegetables and most recently turkey over baked potato w/left over gravy and peas - quite delicious.

There is just something nice about using something up completely - no waste; putting Tupperware in the dishwasher after using its contents, not throwing them out. I thought maybe I had a picture of the turkey breast we cooked, Trav likes to document the big 'uns - turkey, pork shoulder, etc. but I could not locate it tonight. Regardless, it was a success and now I know we can use a whole turkey breast all by ourselves.

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "We recommend that no one eat more than two tons of turkey - that's what it would take to poison someone" Elizabeth Whelan

Day #272 - Support

Oh...you thought I was done blogging...no way.

I can honestly say there is a tree in my yard that owes its more upright life to my blog. I was thinking about what I might blog about earlier today and suddenly got inspired to knock one more thing off my Summer to do list and Trav was there to help, so we lent some support to one of our most crooked trees.

I bought some mettle spikes at Home Depot not long ago and keep putting off digging the 1 foot holes that are necessary to get them in the ground. Two of the three I started on my own, but didn't get far - they are still sticking sideways out of the ground by the unfortunate trees, but today I had big strong Travis to dig through the clay and rocks enough to create the necessary support.

Sad Crooked Tree before - from the entry way this tree looks like a healthy pine bush, but as you walk up the hill you can see how crooked it is and how it is growing down hill, but the newer branches are pointing up to the sky and I couldn't help thinking it wanted to grow straight and tall like its giant sisters spread throughout our yard.

Here is Travis being Brawny:

It took digging, pick-axing, digging some more, hammering and burying to get the spike in the ground far enough to make a difference; then we got some strong wire, cut up a hose and pushed and pulled the tree as far as we felt it could take it (I didn't want to break it in half after all that) and secured it to the spike.

Don't you think the tree looks happier in a more upright position? In a week or so we will go back out and tighten the wire to see if we can get it totally straight before winter. That snow is so heavy and it is hard for the little trees to stand tall under that weight all on their own.

I can wax on about how we all need a little support now and then, how the spike can represent any number of things in our lives, but you can draw your own metaphor...

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain." Anonymous

Day #271 - The Year Mark

When you document a full year of your life, you realize how quickly time flies by. One moment bleeds into the next until you are a full year ahead of the last. I started this blog Last Sept, 10th and here we are one year later and I am only...oh, 94 posts short of my 365 day year. Still at 271 posts that is just over 5 posts per week. I feel ok about that.

So...What have I learned during this exercise in blogging?

A few things stand out...It is not easy to maintain an attitude of gratitude all the time, but this blog has helped me to focus and think about the blessings I have been given even when it wasn't easy to find them. I am also less afraid of being vulnerable in these posts. I remember the first few posts and how difficult it was for me to hit the "publish" button. Sure, I have like 3 readers, but it was still intimidating and I feel more confident for going for it anyway. It is also interesting to look back and see how many big and little things happen in ones life over the course of a single year.

I will also say, writing a blog is cathartic...so many times this year I have found relief in expressing my feelings and reading those of my family and friends. And publishing a post decreases the likelihood I will write something completely negative or self defeating like I have written in more personal journals over the years.

Another advantage has been connecting with my sister who is my most faithful follower. I thought I knew who she was...I had no idea and it has been extremely fun to get to know her, to understand her and to have a closer relationship with her.

Thank you for sharing this year with me.

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words" Elbert Hubbard

Day #270 - Bun Bun

Today I was talking to a client relocating from CA to UT and he mentioned he has a dwarf bunny that he is trying to find a home for. The Humane Societies he has contacted only give the bunnies a few weeks before sending them to the big bunny run in the sky. I told him I actually have an idea and will get back with him tomorrow...

Ring, Ring..."Hey Amy, would you like to add a domesticated bunny to your other two boys and 3 chickens?"..."why would you ask me that?"..."I don't know, you already have two bunnies and might want one more"..."what color is it"..."does that matter?"...sigh,"ok, I'll take it, but you need to check with Archer"..."Archer? uh, ok"...

Archer turns 8 tomorrow...

"Hello"..."Hi Archer - I have a client who is looking for a home for his bunny. It is small and cute and comes when you call 'Bun Bun'. Do you think you could take him in?"..."Sure"..."well, will you take very good care of him?"..."Sure"..."so it is ok with you if they drop him off next week"..."yeah, sure it is fine with me"..."OK - THANKS".

I am totally stoked to call back this transferee and tell him I have a wonderful home for his beloved family pet w/my 8 year old nephew. Travis said if they really care about Bun Bun why don't they just keep it? Good question...but this was a fun thing to do for one of my transferee's, not the normal every day thing, but something he was really concerned and uncertain about.

I hope Bun Bun is a very good bunny and Amy and Archer are happy with their decision to help Bun Bun out. It was a good day.

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive." Bugs Bunny

Day #269 - Labor Day/Miner's Day

Today is Labor Day and it is also known as Miner's Day in Park City. Trav and I drove out to town and walked up Main Street and then down below Main Street to the festival. There was food/drinks, live music, stuff for kids and a Muck and Drilling competition that we watched for a minute. By this time my camera was out of juice, but it was pretty interesting to see.

The BEST part of today, was kicking Trav's A** at the bean bag game we played. It was honestly one of the best moments of my life...:)

Park City was established as a mining town. The announcer of the competition said there are over 500 miles of tunnels under Park City. Travis and I went on a tour of one of the mines for one of our anniversary's when we stayed in PC. It seems like a hard job and not one I would be too excited to do.

This photo is a mural painted on the walls of a tunnel to the park. It is pretty cool.

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it."  ~Lord Acton

Day #268 - Point 2 Point - TRAVIS

I'm a few days behind on my blog, but I must give a race recap. I have mentioned before that Travis has been training for a 78 mile mountain bike race this whole year. The last few days before the race, I think he started psyching himself out, but I knew he had trained hard and would do well.

My job at the race was to meet him at two different spots throughout the race and give him some food and drinks he had prepared, take photos and be supportive. I took LOTS of photos:

Start of Race at Round Valley - Trav is full of energy and ready to go. I hung out for the first hour so I could see him go by after the Round Valley loop - he got there exactly when I thought he would:

The next stop was at Deer Valley. Each racer received two free lift tickets up to Silver Lake Lodge where the racers would arrive for the feed zone. For some reason I have begun to fear heights and especially ski lifts. I used to love them, but the last one we went on stopped so many times and took an hour and 1/2 round trip - I was so scared and tense by the end of that ride and not a little befuddled...when did I become afraid??? Hmmm...Anyway, this ride was smooth and I only got a little anxious if I started to think about falling. It was so beautiful and quiet on the way up - very peaceful.

Once up there I began to watch all the riders coming down the hill and spotted some unique looking jerseys - thank goodness Travis had on red sleeves so he was easy to spot. Travis was 30 minutes early at the feed station at Deer Valley Silver Lake Lodge...I was worried he might be pushing too hard, but he felt good and was rearin' to go, took off his red under shirt & zoomed off up the hill...now it would be pretty hard to tell who he was until he got close enough. Next year I told him he will need to wear something more noticeable.

It was the next feed station at Park City Resort that was tricky - Travis was an hour later then I expected him. It was around mile 54 and he still had 24 miles left to ride to make it to the finish in The Canyons. His inner thighs had started to cramp. This was my biggest worry about this race - the cramping. I was rushing around to get him water and exchange his bottles and he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "It's alright, I am going to stand here for a few minutes". So he shoved bananas, cookies and coke into his mouth and came to stand by me again. I asked him if he had the legs to finish - he shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know". I then asked him if he had the guts to finish, he simply said, "Yes". I told him I would see him at the finish.

Throughout the day I would update some of our friends and several people came out to support Travis at the finish line. It is hard because you don't know when they will be coming through, but they were in place at 4 p.m.

Finally, he came through at just over 10 hours, with a ride time of around 9.5 hours and 138th overall (over 300 racers) and 35th in his race group...I am so very proud of him.

I think he will want to do it again next year; there is something special about triumphing over yourself to finish something that wipes you out. I was talking to the wife of one of the racers who has done some of these epic rides as well and she said the last third of the race is all about guts, either you have the guts to finish, or you don't. This is why I asked Travis that question in Park City and because of his answer I knew he would make it to the finish line just fine. Way-to-go Trav!!!

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever"  Lance Armstrong 

Day #267 - Season's Change

There's a definite chill in the air here in The Park, as Elaine informed me the neighbors call our subdivision, Fall is on it's way for sure. I love the changing of all the Seasons, but Summer to Fall is the best. Just two days ago I thought I would be smothered by heat exhaustion in the loft while I typed away and tonight I had to close the window and put on socks. Soon the trees will begin to change again and the moose will come to visit...

I have the day off work tomorrow and have a nagging feeling I left something important undone...I stayed late tonight finishing up some paperwork that has been at the back of my mind all week, returned all phone calls, completed my time card and put my "out of office" on...I guess I will hear soon enough if there is a problem. I should just not worry about it, but I am my Mother's daughter after all.

ANYWAY, I took the day off so I can prepare for Trav's race on Saturday. He has been training hard for months now and I feel he is really ready to take it on. He is racing in the Point to Point race, which is 78 miles of mountain biking from Deer Valley, up and down through Park City Resort, up down and over to The Canyons w/a mile long uphill finish. My job is to provide him with fresh water bottles full of some powder that acts sort of like Gatorade without all the sugar and a baked potato w/salt and cheese mashed on it at two different stops throughout the day. He is taking me to the two stops tomorrow so I won't mess up (my words, not his).

I will take photos and provide details on Saturday and can't help being nervous for him. It will be a long day for me, but I have books to get through, including Atlas Shrugged (which I am LOVING all of sudden - the "John Gault Line" HA - Good one!). I am glad the heat has subsided and feel a warm day is much more conducive to endurance events then a super hot day. Now I just hope we have a long sustained Fall this year - it is the best time of year to live in The Park.

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each." Henry David Thoreau