24th of July

Oh how I needed a long weekend. Can I have a few more days please?

This weekend we got out and had some fun. On Friday we headed up to Bear Lake with some friends. We packed up the car with our best camp chairs, floating tubes and kite. Ending the day in the traditional way with raspberry shakes.




I did get a bit of sunburn, here and there. I thought I was so good about the sunscreen. I don't care, I'll take it. It means we've been out enjoying the day.

On Saturday, I went to my first really big rodeo. I've been to the small scale local ones but they had nothing on the Days of 47 Rodeo - and I'm not sure I liked it.

We walked to the Maverick Center behind a group of teens that looked like Adam Lambert, tattooed and spiked. I like to consider myself open to different kinds of people but this was not really my place at all. Realization of the day: I don't belong in West Valley City.

Then, it all started out weird, I had some treats in my bag that they said I would have to throw away. I didn't want to throw away good rice crispy treats so I lied. I told him I was pregnant and needed them. He let me in.

For the most part it was a good time watching the bare back riding of horses and bulls, the barrel event and other roping specialties. The one I didn't like was where a bunch of people on horses chased cows around and had to milk them and bring them to the judges. It was so barbaric. And that is really saying something from me who grew up around rodeos and horses. But it was for the most part a good time. Thanks to Mom and Dad for the free tickets.

My Big Debut

I just realized that I've left you all hanging. Believe me it wasn't intentional. Things have just been really stressful lately with my job (as you could read).

The big excitement was my NPR debut. On my unwritten bucket list was to be on National Public Radio someday, not just the local station but the nation-wide one. Never did I realize that it would actually happen. It did. Can you believe it?!

On Wednesday I got a call from Washington D.C. It was a person from Weekend Edition notifying me that I had won the opportunity to be on the Sunday Puzzle. For those of you who don't listen to NPR, this doesn't sound like a big deal but to Heb and I this is huge.This was the first time I had ever entered. To be honest, this is the first time I've ever solved the weekly challenge question, mostly because I hear it and then never really think about it again.

Heber was working on it in church the week before and I looked at it and knew the answer immediately. He entered me into the drawing and I jokingly said they'd pick me. Then I was selected out of 2,000 people.



By Thursday I was chitchatting with Lianne (the host) about our shared love of glass and meeting Will Shortz (via phone, of course). It was all a very positive experience, minus missing a few questions. Mostly it was just stinking cool to be part of something that we listen to every week. As you could tell from my last post, I really needed a pick me up after all of the happenings of last week.

Listen here.

What's on your bucket list? What is something you don't ever think will happen but secretly dream that it will?

What hasn't gone wrong?

Missing.
One down fluffy pillow.
Reward.
A hug, for the pillow.
Come back to me pillow.

I lost my pillow. I thought it was gone forever, which made me very sad. I like my pillow. It was found at 12:00 at night in the middle of a sidewalk. Me = exhausted at working all day and not having a pillow.

This story is pretty indicative of how the whole week has gone. I'm in Park City running my workshop. Its been challenging being away from home and trying to handle all of the stress of taking care of 35 people. I only had two breakdowns (not in front of anyone, of course) and we only have one day left. I think I'm going to be fine. The list of problems has been long...flat tires, lost keys to a federal vehicle, locked doors, and work phone calls at 10:30 at night. But, we may have all fallen into our groove and things are running smoothly.

On the bright side, our condo is incredibly beautiful and huge, I've had a little time to shop at the outlet malls and actually put together an outfit - I never seem to shop that way but aspire to do so, and I got some pretty exciting news that you'll have to wait to read about. It is huge. Really.

Time to collapse into bed. So tired.