I Dare You.....

We've all heard how fierce a momma bear can be when it comes to protecting her cubs. One of my cubs has been severely attacked in the last two months and the other cub scratched at. I've never had the "momma bear" instinct strike so fiercely as it has during this time.

Tomorrow I'm taking my cubs back into the wild to see how they fair. Please keep in mind that I will be standing upright, with the hair on my neck prickled, watching. If I feel that for any reason one of my cubs is being knocked around undeservedly I'm fully prepared to show my teeth, growl and take them back to my den for protection.

Just try to test me, or any other momma bear.

Three Times This Weekend.....

First off, get your mind out of the gutter.

Three times this weekend my family has sat at the table and shared a meal together. Most of you know that I don't generally cook. I'm not sure what's gotten into me but I have had this strange to cook. This can be a dangerous thing.

Three weeks ago I cooked noodles and managed to clog our drain pipes. It took D-Rock six dirty, frustrating hours and a couple trips to Lowe's to get it fixed. Then, the next week I was allowed back into the kitchen and managed to set off the smoke alarms in the house.

Well, I was left alone Friday evening and was really craving mac-n-cheese and hot dogs. I was warned not to set the house on fire. I promised to get the animals out if it happened.

I successfully made the dinner Friday and then again on Saturday. I'd never made fettuccine alfredo with chicken but I was feeling very adventurous. It was also a success. I wore the apron twice and spent more time in the kitchen this weekend than I have in the last month.

I've been laughed at, pictures taken, made fun of and praised. My favorite part was when Jubee asked that we all sit at the table together. It made me feel like we truly are a family.

Thanks to my family for being so trusting with my culinary curiosities. No Eris I'm not the pod version and yes he does like it!

What a Weekend.....

This is before.....

This is after.....

We've had an incredible trip! The boys met so many people while at the track. They met owners, drivers, pit crew, you name it. We enjoyed new friends and caught up with old friends.

Bubba's favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, led most of the race but in the end D-Rock's driver won the race. It was all ok though because after the race Bubba caught up with Jeff Gordon and was able to get an autograph! We've been told his is one of the most difficult to get.

I hope to share pictures some time, just need to figure out the best way. Since there are so many I don't think this would be the best place, probably will post them on Facebook so keep your eye out for them, I know you are all interested (especially you Eris)!

A Beautiful Day in LV.....

This will seem like a long post but it's mainly pictures. We like to do new and different things whenever we visit the same place twice.

We started the day with a visit to my jobsite. We are building a Lowe's in the north-west end of town and I thought it might be fun for my family to see a little of what I do. It's amazing how quick these stores are built and how enormous they look when they are empty.

Some of us climbed a ladder to the roof.

Some of us didn't.

Then it was off to New York New York where Bubba and I rode the roller coaster.

After the roller coaster we went back over to the MGM Grand to see the lions. This is a repeat adventure but it's something that Jubee loves. They were very active and fun to watch.

After that we headed to In-n-Out Burgers for lunch. The kids had never eaten there and they've heard us rave over the food. It was a fabulous lunch! I'm still curious on how many "styles" you can order your burger. D-Rock and the kids had theirs animal style. I think the only difference is sauteed onions versus raw. They make all their fries from fresh potatoes and it's interesting to watch. We are very excited to have one moving to Centerville.

In the same parking lot is a really neat cigar shop. We stopped there for a couple sticks and ended up bringing home three cigar boxes that we are all fighting over. I guess we'll have to stop there again in four weeks for more!

After that we headed back to the strip for a looksy at the NASCAR themed rides at the Sahara and Bubba and I decided to ride both of them. They have a ride called Speed and then stock car simulators. This picture is from the Speed ride and I must say it's my favorite ride I've ever been on. D-Rock and Jubee were able to go up and watch us launch. Now when I say launch I'm not kidding. They told us twice to put our heads back and the next thing we knew we were doing 70MPH down an incredible track! We flew straight up into the air and then did the entire ride backwards! D-Rock couldn't believe how quick we were gone. There was no movement of the car before it just flat out took off.

We drove around for a while and then stopped at the famous Las Vegas sign for a picture.

After this we headed to Fry's, an electronics store, where Jubee and I found the massage chairs and just about fell asleep. If I every have a few hundred dollars to blow it will be spent to purchase one of these magnificent chairs. Then off to Rollie & Donna's for a fabulous dinner and visiting.

We got back to the track just after 9PM and our fun neighbors were here so we sat and chatted with them for a few hours.

It was a very fun filled day and having the kids with us makes it even more so.

The Pilgrimage.....

My name is Athena, I am an addict, I love NASCAR. We made our yearly pilgrimage to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway today. We have an infield campsite that we purchase every year and we have a wonderful time.

Our departure was scheduled for 6:00am this morning, actual departure time was 6:25am. We knew that weather was coming and we wanted to beat it as much as possible.

Lets just say it was an interesting ride. We had great luck with traffic, not so great with the weather. This is a picture of somewhere between Fillmore and Nephi. Yeah, lots o' fun.

We saw a Tahoe off the side of the road but didn't stop. We felt a little bad but UHP was less than a mile behind us and we could see the driver on the phone. Looked like they were just going too fast for conditions. Us, we went about 35 miles per hour until the roads cleared up after Beaver.

It took us about eight hours and some white knuckle miles but we made it safe and sound. We even got to drive ON THE RACE TRACK!!!

We have fun things planned over the next few days. We will visit one of my jobsites here in Las Vegas, hoping to get a few good rides on the strip, meeting up with old friends and are excited to meet new friends.

Seriously.....

I have worked since I was 16. With the exception of one month I haven't been without a job for over 20 years. I take pride in any job or task given to me. I respect others when their work depends on something that I must do, no matter how small or mundane.

I came to a realization today. Returning phone calls, emails, messages or completing what you agreed to and when you agreed to have it done is altogether a lost art. This is really bothering me. I am very proud to say that I respond to every phone call, email or message within a reasonable time frame, even if I don't have the answer. At least responding with an "I don't know but I will find out" or "I'm sorry, I just got super busy" is better than not responding AT ALL! This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine.

Well, I was promised on Tuesday at 10:00am that I would receive certain documents from his girl in the office quickly and was also told that if I didn't see it by 2:00pm that I should call this guy back. Hmmm, apparently my "quickly" has a completely different definition than theirs. I still don't have what I need / want.

Being the persistent and relentless person I am (this was actually a compliment made to me today by a co-worker) I have called, emailed and text the guy to no avail.

Now I've probably been put on the "this person sucks and is a pain in the ass" list.

Great.

Family equals.....

For the most part, family members learn to co-exist without much of a problem. You have the occasional teenager fight, they yell, you yell, they stomp off, you continue what you were doing before they interrupted you.

The last little while I've decided that family equals tears. You cry when you loose someone, when you are reminded of someone, you even cry when a long lost person re-appears. Well, let me just say I'm tired of all the crying. I'm officially boycotting the wetness that seeps from my eyes and makes me speak in a terribly high voice and all blotchy and silly looking.

Numi, go ahead and try me.