Superbowl Sunday!

Bring on the
1. Jalapeno Poppers
2. Fresh Salsa & Guacamole
3. Fudge/ Cookie dough Brownies
4. Mozzarella Sticks with Ranch!

Don't forget the beer or in my case wine!

Superbowl Sunday... Whoohooo! A time to eat, a time to veg on the couch, a time to drink!

I hope you all enjoy the party and the food. Oh and I hope you catch some of the game.
Who is playing again??
Just kidding.... I think.

Hmm. Mmm.

You know what really really gets my goat...
(I don't have a goat, but if I did I would name him Bill)

Anyways, back to my rant.
It really gets me when people who get plenty of income, and I mean PLENTY. But they spend it on ridiculous things and basically throw away all the cash flow.
Then you know what happens, they complain about it.
And of course, the poor people with plenty of income, never view themselves as responsible.

ACCHHHH!
It drives me crazy. I want to slap them, or shave off their eyebrows.
I would like for them to live off my salary for 2 weeks. I don't think they'd make it....
Stop complaining about your plenty of income woes...
I don't get it and I'm not going to be sympathetic to you. I would love to have half the income you do. I could by myself a country with all that money.


Okay. Rant over.

On another note.
I was helping Ryan night calve last night.
I got to play with the baby calves.
I think I made some of the Mama's mad.
I love baby calves... they are so cute!
I love when they crinkle their noses.
There were 4 babies born last night, and a total of 42 heifers have calved!
Woohooo, only 200 or so more to go

That isn't even counting the old cows.
When you night calve, you look at so many hoo hoo's.
I'm practically a gynecologist.

I'm in LOVE

Being as it is also that time of the year... February is right around the corner and with it comes Valentine's Day.
The day where all people show how much they love each other and spend money lavishly on chocolates and cards and other lovey dovey things.

But that's not what I'm talking about right now. That is not why I'm in love.

This love is deeper, lasting longer then just the one day!

I love This Place and all they create and carry.

It's a wonderful place. And I pink puffy heart it.

I love it as much as I love This Place and This Place.

Oh, wait a minute.... I just had a fleeting thought.
For Valentines Day, maybe, just maybe those that love me will bestow gifts upon me from my favorite lovey places??




Well a girl can dream!




*Please take notice, not ONE mention of Food, or eating at all in this post. Cause Chocolate doesn't count, it's my life's blood. Thank you and good night.

You Decide

Is it Friday yet?

Don't answer that question, unless you are going to lie to me and tell me "Yes, it actually is Friday."
The heater I have in my office left. It went on vacation, died, retired? I'm not sure but it has failed. Failed severely in life. And my extremities (hands and feet) have frost bite to prove it.
(Did I use the word extremities correctly in the sentence above? I'm not sure but had a fleetingly smart moment and wanted to use it before it expired.)

I'm huddled in front of my little space heater... seriously I am. If you saw me now, you would laugh, and pity me at the same time.
I don't think I would ever make it homeless, I'd freeze to death in the middle of summer.

There is a cure to this frozen syndrome. Brownies (although, they don't help my butt) they do help my body temp.
Should I call my husband and ask him to make them?
Do you think he would know how?
I mean the directions are on the box... he should be okay right? RIGHT?
Well, maybe not. I mean think about it. And this goes for most males.
(Every now and then, there are those gems that like to bake and keep their loved ones contented with food and other goodies)
But my gem that I married does other things especially well, he can even cook.
Baking however.... I don't know if that is in his arsenal.
I have never come home to him in the kitchen preparing an apple pie, or baking cookies.
I wonder what he would do, if I broke both my arms and he suddenly had a craving for brownies (oh yeah, that happens in our house. a lot)
He would have to bunker (bunker? Oh lord) down and make his own. Okay okay, so lets be honest. If this were to happen, we would probably run to town to get our sweet tooth craving fixed.


Do you ever notice how most of the time I can start out talking about calving, or being cold, or money and it always comes back to food? Do you happen to notice this?
NO? Oh, okay so I don't have anything to worry about right? RIGHT??

Yeah, I didn't think so either.

Candies, calories and calving

Ahhh, I feel rejuvenated? refreshed? refurbished?

I got Friday off of work, this allowed me to run some much needed errands in town.
Unfortunately I didn't get to attend my much needed errands at home. Whoops.
Oh well, I know they will be there forever, or until I do them. Whatever is first.

I did however go to the grocery store and got prepared/ ready for the Superbowl. We aren't having a party, I don't think anyways. BUT, we are having delicious snack foods and deserts that will stick to your butt.
Speaking of butts do you ever catch a glimpse of yours in the mirror?
I did, and felt like screaming. I didn't recognize it. Then I immediately went out and got a gym membership.
Okay, so I didn't get a gym membership. But I thought about it, seriously. I blame my foreign butt on the winter months. It's cold and miserable and there is NO way my butt is leaving my house unless I absolutely have too.
I have made a vow to get my thee butt back into shape once summer hits, for I will no longer have any excuses.
Hopefully, it will be more recognizable in the summer months. My butt that is.

Oh, and let the night calving begin tonight. Full nights, oh lordy.
25 calves on the ground and counting.
I'm going to be looking into a vacation in Maui during these full night calving months. Seriously.

Thursday's make me Thirsty

All my Havre people you know what I'm talkin bout!
(okay well, anyone who went to college can certainly relate)
Sorry Mom and Dad but that's right.
In college we referred to Thursday as Thirsty Thursday's.
Of course the only beverage that would ever quench our thirst was alcohol.
I feel like I want to have a thirsty Thursday flash back tonight.

As of yesterday night, the Ranch has 4 calves on the ground.

Remember what I said about Montana weather being CRAZY?
Well it's true. Yesterday sun was shinning, blue sky and outside it was 60.
Today it's 23 out, it's cloudy, and it's trying to snow.

Last night I finally cleaned my cat box... I could actually hear my older cat take a sigh of relief.
So to make up for it, I gave her extra food. (do you see a chain reaction here? No, oh okay good)

Sometimes I feel like all I ever do is give. Give give give give give. What happens when you have nothing to give anymore, then what do you give out?

I want/need to take tomorrow off to run errands at the banks that aren't open on the weekends. Wonder if it will happen.

One more load of laundry down 502 more to go.
I still have to do the dishes. I wish they would just do themselves.

This week has been such a drag, literally it's moving at a snails pace.

Do you think I could win the lottery today? Me too, does it matter that I don't buy lotto tickets?

Maybe on Saturday I will finish painting. ( I will really really try to get it done.)

Do you ever wonder what your pets would say if they could talk? I bet my cat named lucky would be dyslexic and ADD. It would be funny.

What are you going to do with your Thursday?
Inquiring minds want to know.

To Do List update

My Favorite part of making a list.... crossing those suckers off.
Here is what I did yesterday, and I'm only telling you this cause I said I would. Otherwise I would keep it to myself cause really I didn't do that much. Oh well there is always tonight.... right? RIGHT?

TO DO LIST
Clean out Fridge (I'm growing science projects in there)
Do several loads of laundry I did one....oops
Finish painting (I told you it'd take me forever) Yeah this didn't happen either
Unload dishwasher DONE and re-load Will finish this tonight
Clean my room (it's awfully horrendous) UM, nope
Vacuum I thought about it, does that count?
Make dinner (what should I make)Of course!
Take down outside Christmas Lights DONE
Put away clean clothes (I hate putting those away)I started this. I will finish tonight I think
I really need to finish painting our room (not going to happen today though) no way
Take out the trash DONE
Clean the laundry room Kinda...
Clean the kitty box (ewww, cats are so poopy)UM no, but I will do this tonight
Take care of the Chickens (daily chore) Done
Eat Oreo's on the couch I didn't do this! I repeat, I did NOT eat oreo's on the couch! Why?
Well I was upstaged. How? Ryan got to them before I did.
And you know what he did?
He left the EMPTY Oreo container on the side table so when I went to eat oreos on the couch with a glass of milk the container was sadly empty.
What a cruel cruel thing to do.

And so it begins

Yesterday was the day it began. It's exciting, kinda dreadful while at the same time fun. But there is a lot of work to be done.

What am I talking about?

Well yesterday we had our first calf. (why do I say we, like I was there and had any part in it...)

Rephrase/ Correction:
Well, yesterday the Ranch had it's First calf. (there mucho better)
Then later that night, we er um, the Ranch had it's Second calf.

2 down only 898 more to go.

And so it begins, it would be wonderful if we had tons of calves during this warm snap we are getting. But I highly doubt that will happen. You see cows think they can only birth their calves when it's cold, really cold, negative weather.
Bring on the straw, bottles, rubber bands(poor boys), chains and the jack! Calving season has officially started for the Ranch!

I hope those cowboys are ready.

Tuesday To Do's

It's Tuesday and on top of that it's the twentieth.
So what do I have to do today?
Well here is my list. (I love making lists, just to cross things off)

TO DO LIST
Clean out Fridge (I'm growing science projects in there)
Do several loads of laundry
Finish painting (I told you it'd take me forever)
Unload dishwasher and re-load (I hate unloading)
Clean my room (it's awfully horrendous)
Vacuum
Make dinner (what should I make)
Take down outside Christmas Lights
Put away clean clothes (I hate putting those away)
I really need to finish painting our room (not going to happen today though)
Take out the trash
Clean the laundry room
Clean the kitty box (ewww, cats are so poopy)
Take care of the Chickens (daily chore)
Eat Oreo's on the couch

Well that is my list, I wonder what will get done first.
Okay so I know what I will do first.
My goal is to cross of 6 things in my list tonight.
I'll report back tomorrow.

Mother May I?

Please Please puhhleassse??

Can I have this thing?

Oh, and some of these?

And while we are at it, why not one of those?

Also, please don't forget to add in this beauty.

That should suffice.

Thank you and good night.

Feels like spring time

Have you ever heard about the wacky weather we get in Montana?
(If you live in Montana, then you KNOW what I'ma talkin about)

Today in Montana on this day of January 19th, 2009 it is:

60 degrees
The sun is shinning
And the sky is blue


Ahhh, it makes me want to be outside, it makes me want to eat ice cream, it makes me want to work out, then eat more ice cream!

You know what though, on Thursday they are calling for Snow.
So I'm going to enjoy this spring like weather we have for the next couple days. Cause then it will be gone, gone for another 3 months.

I'm telling you it's crazy weather here. Don't believe me?
I'll have to find the picture I took in June.

There is 8 inches of snow on the ground.

Leave the poor thing alone.

Holy Moly.
Figuratively speaking... well typing.
Have you ever witnessed someone beating a dead horse, I mean really really beating it?

It's annoying. It's boring. It's disgusting.

Why do people do that? Why? What in the world is the point? I don't get it.

example of Not beating a dead horse:

Take a letter. Say what you have to say, get to the point.
Make it short a sweet, don't draw it out.

example of beating a dead horse:

Take a letter. Say what you have to say, and keep saying it and saying it and saying it.
Say it so much that your reader is annoyed, bored and disgusted.
Then say it some more and some more and some more and some more.
Say it so much more that your reader is stabbing their eyes out with pencils.


Do you see what I mean.

huuhhh, it's exhausting just thinking about it.
And think about that figuratively typing poor horse. Just let him lie.

tricky little tricksters

Tricksters.... is that a word? It looks ridiculous typed out.

That ever happen to you, you write a word a gazillion times then it starts to look funny like it's spelt wrong, or not even a word. Weird.

Anyways back to the subject at title.

Tricky people. They are everywhere.
Just now at work the phone rang. (I know it's weird here)
It was about advertising. Do you want to advertise with us this year?

I couldn't answer the question, I wasn't sure if the boss would want to or not.
So I would have to call them back.
Well I've been trying and trying to call them back for 20-30 minutes.

They didn't answer the phone. Why? They have caller ID and they went ahead and put us on the re-advertising list until they heard different.
Those little tricky tricksters.

Well, I'll show them. I did what anyone from my age group would do.
I used a trick from my Jr. High days and called them back. You know what happened.
They answered the phone, it was like magic.
he he heh. Don't mess with me buddy.

I used to prank call like ALL the time with my friends and I'm a pro at all the cool tricks.
I can get your number in a jiffy and I can block my number from you in a flash.

Ah, the skillz you learn and take with you through life.

Wait... what skillz did I learn? Well I could tell you...... but then I'd never be able to prank call you.
That's right, I still prank call why? Cause well I guess I never really grew out of it. Plus it's cheap entertainment and with the economy in the pooper I need to really save money.





You know it's bad when I try to justify my childish games on the economy. I'm working on it.



Okay so I'm not.
It's the thought that counts though right? RIGHT?




Whatever.

Last Night

I made a wonderful new dish! It was fairly easy, and really goooood!
It has a few steps to it, but it's so worth it.
And holy cow it makes enough to feed an army.
I'm telling you, you should try this little dish, it may just change your life.

Am I driving you crazy yet? Crazy with anticipation!

Okay, Okay. I'll just tell you...

Last night I made THIS.

Go check it out, make it for dinner tonight.
Your friends, family, pets, neighbors will all love you.

Oh, and even without some of the ingredients it was awesome.
I omitted the tomatoes, onions, garlic and corn. Why? Cause I plum ran out.
* let this be known to you all, this was the first time I cooked without garlic.

Did I ever tell you about this one time?

Yeah, this one time you will never guess what happened to me.
No really you won't. Go ahead try....

No? Alright, I'll just explain what I'm talking about.

I met a celebrity, a star, a famous person, a singer!
Who?

Well just read and find out!

It was this summer, I went to the Big Sky State Games in Billings (we put together a volleyball team) but we had to pick up one of our players at the airport.

So, we get there and wait for what seems like 30 years of my life. (They always make you wait forever in airports) Then the person we were waiting for (let's call her Louis) Louis walks out and all is right in our volleyball world.
Then I look over and I see him....
I was stunned, speechless, not entirely sure I was accurate with my spotting.
I look over at the other girls and ask "Is that who I think it is?"
They aren't really sure.
But then he walks by me while talking on the cell phone (cause it's cool and all famous people are like SO cool) and I see it. A huge ring with the initials "CBT" on it.
I KNEW it!
I whisper to the girls "That's COWBOY TROY!"
So what do I do? Well the only thing I could
I yell his name, while trying to cover it with a cough..... so classy. (I can't believe I did that)
He ignores me, as he rightfully should. Who cough yells? WHO DOES THAT?

Well finally he takes pity on my poor, poor soul and walks over.
CBT "Was that you that called my name?"
ME "Uh, yeah, that was me" ( I should have lied, I should have blamed LOUIS)
CBT "What are you girls doing here?"
The Girls "Oh we have a volleyball tournament!"
CBT "Oh"
ME" What are you doing here, in Montana?"
CBT " Well, I have a show tonight at the Chaz"
CBT "You guys should come down and check it out"
The Girls "Yeah, we should do that if we have time."

*Enter awkward silence where we are adoring him..... silently of course.

Then he turns and leaves because at that point all we were doing was staring at him with the star struck look in our eyes.
After he has left, I think "WAIT, I need a picture, an autograph, a hand shake, What's Big and Rich Like? I NEED YOU TO RAP US A SONG!!

Unfortunately I forgot my name, where I was, and I forgot to ask him for any of those things.
But I will always have in my memory the run in I had with Cowboy Troy.

And you know what?
He really is HUGE in real life, it's not just on TV.
He is so big, he was traveling alone, no one was with him.
No body guards, no agent, no one.
You know why? Cowboy is definitely big enough to take care of himself.
I wonder what kind of impression I gave him of Montana people....

The calm before the storm

Have you ever noticed this?
I'm sure you've heard the saying before "The calm before the storm"
This saying holds true to everything. No stop it, it does too. Every time.

It doesn't matter what circumstance or life style you life or have or want or dream of or... nevermind.

What I'm stammering about is this.

When things are calm, you have all the bills paid, all the barns cleaned, your floors waxed and your picture frames dusted, and heck even your toilets scrubbed.
You take a second to sit on the couch and eat ice cream while watching your favorite show, or movie.
Then WAM! BAM! The storm hits, something happens that upsets your time on the couch eating bon bons and watching TV. It can be anything really, the cat pukes on your clean floors, the dogs bring mud on your clean carpet, you get the plague and have doctor bills.

You don't believe me? Let me draw another scenario!

The Ranch, ah it's a very quiet place when you aren't working. And if you are familiar with Ranching life styles, you are always working. There is something to do always, the job is never done always. Always you are busy. (do you ever watch Mad TV?)

Well our calm is before a big event. Big events are measured in 5-6 big events. (usually)
1. Calving
2. Haying
3. Shipping
4. Branding
5. Weaning/ Sorting
6. Fencing (Ryan's favorite)
(disclaimer, these are not in any specific order)
Of course before these big events it's all about preparation! Preparation will be your what if scenario! You prepare for everything, good and bad.
Once that's all done, and it usually takes a while for everything to be finished. Finally the cowboy's can enjoy some downtime. Easy busy work, getting off early, you know their time to sit on the couch and eat bon bon's.

Then WAM! BAM! it happens. Your Cows get out and are living on the neighbor ranch or It snows in June when you want to Brand or Your baler breaks after 3 bales or it gets to be -40 during calving and all the cows decide today is the day to calve (why do they do that?)

Anyways you get the idea, and if you weren't believers before you should be now!
Don't worry though, there is a cure. You just have to live in utter and complete craziness to ensure this doesn't happen.
To be sure I don't fall victim to this again, I'm going one step further I stopped cleaning my house and doing laundry! Yep I think I'm safe.

Let the Count Down Begin

Wait... What count down you ask?

Well Calving of course, duh!
Yep it's true, the ranch will start calving in roughly 11 days. Are they ready? Who knows? But either way it will hit, and when it does oh boy.
Grab your Muck boots, and Work Jacket, it's going to be a LONG couple months.

I always love to bottle feed the little sugar muffins! They are so darned cute! Last year I fell in love with a little red baby, and I dubed her mine. Well, mine until she grew up and out of her cuteness!

I'm sure I'll be dragged down to the calving barn against my will again this year. (Ryan thinks I'm his free laborer during calving) Then he will force me to go out on all of his nightly checks and hold the spot light for him. But I'm more interested in making zig zag's with the light then actually checking for cow's calving. Ryan gets so mad.... I get a kick out of it, then I quietly snicker behind him. Don't tell him though, cause the next job I would have to do is the decoy for the mean cows. No thank you.

Did I ever tell you last year I almost died. Yes death by a freight train aka. Heifer cow that did NOT want to go into the barn.
I'll tell you about it sometime.

For some strange reason Calving season makes all the cowboys go crazy.

I'll tell you about that sometime too!

This just in

Remember when I wanted to finish painting my house as one of my New Year's Resolution?
Well I did it!
YESSS Success is mine.

Okay okay, I started to finish my living room. But I'm over halfway done. The only thing I need to do is put the second coat on 2 walls! I'll do it one of these days. I'm telling myself "Tomorrow" (it's always tomorrow, the best time)

I'm so close I can taste it.
And you know what?
Paint doesn't taste good.

Come visit me, you can help me finish painting!

If you could go back would you?

If you could go back to High school would you?

I loved High school, everything about it...okay well not everything but 97% of it. I had the best friends, a boyfriend, ah life was grand.
That being said, I don't know if I would go back.
If I did go back, I'm almost positive I would do some things differently but would that change my over all thoughts of high school?

I went to a small high school, I new everyone there students, teachers, janitors, bus drivers, lunch ladies, everyone there I knew them all. That's just how it was, we all knew everyone. We hung out at lunch with our best friends and boyfriends, then went to class where we then wrote letters to our best friends and boyfriends.

Then after school it was off to practice, volleyball, basketball, track, and once when I was stoopid cheer leading, (but I was stoopid so it doesn't count) then after practice or before school lifting weights.

The main reason I don't think I could go back is because I don't ever want to be that busy again.
Seriously me and my friends were all juggling so many things.
School, homework, boyfriends, best friend drama, girl drama, boy drama, practice, writing notes, planning movie parties, trips to the movies, trips to town, shopping, sleep overs, phone conversations late in the night, playing Dr. fix it when your friends relationship needs help, going to your friend when you need help, doing your hair just right, wearing the right clothes. The list goes on.
But then on top of all that we did these Majorly important things, at the time they meant the world to us: Prom, Homecoming, Sports Tournaments, School Rivals, Year book, School Pictures, Senior Pictures

Just writing and thinking about all of this again, it's exhausting.
Maybe it's just this way for us and our small school...
College was a blast for 2 reasons well 3, I did what I want, when I wanted and I was like SOOO grown up. I was playing Volleyball, my first love. I met amazing girls, my now extended family.
Then I got a real job and realized, wait I want to go back to college!!
Now I'm married and I don't have to worry about half as much as I did in High school.

Sure I have to worry about things and have responsibilities. But nothing like I used too, I don't have to write 27.8 notes in one day during classes.
I don't have to worry about Prom or Homecoming (thank god)
There isn't any more worries about boyfriends or crushes
Yeah I still shop, call my friends, like to watch movies but something is different.
I'm older things around me are more stable. I don't have to worry about Ryan telling his boss "Oh, my god. You won't believe what my wife wore to work today." I laugh just thinking about it.
Pressure, that is what the difference is.
In high school there was always so much pressure, to dress right, say the right thing, have like the so perfect life.
But now, we are who we are. And there isn't pressure to be something we aren't. Of course I still talk to friends from high school, but its different. We've all grown up.
High school was fun, and I'm thankful but I'll never go back.

The great debate or my nightly debate

Last night for dinner, I didn't know what to make. Has that ever happened to you?
It happens to me all the time. I sit here at work, contemplating what to fix, what sounds good. I hate to admit it, but there are times I talk to myself about a dinner option, I say it out loud just to hear how it sounds. Maybe it will sound better being said then just thought... in my head.
I know, I'm a little off kilter, but being on is like SOOOO boring.

Back to the debate.

I waited to decide until I got home.
Then I got home, and ate a pickle, then I sat on the couch and I couldn't be bothered to think about what to make.
Then Ryan came home, asked "What's for dinner?"
I said "I don't know, what do you want?"
To which his answer EVERYTIME is "I don't care"
UGH, I could scream, I hate that answer just throw a couple ideas around, it won't KILL you.

Okay, I'm back.
So I continued to enjoy sitting on the couch, when I thought eh I'll just take some burger out. There are like so many things to do with burger. (why am I typing in surfer dude mode? I don't know but it's fun and I like totally like it)
Then it hits me... We can have tater-tot casserole!
Wait, how do you make it? I have the general idea, but not the detailed one.
And I wonder if it would work with french fries instead of tater tots, cause that's all I have. Eh, it's got a work a potato is a potato, right?

Then I began to gather my ingredients, burger, french fries, cream of mushroom soup, green beans? green beans..... Well I ran out of them, so Corn it is!

I looked up the recipe and I discovered to my horror, it takes 2 hours to cook. And it was already 7:30.... that's like not going to work and I'm hungry now!

So back to square one, if it was up to me, we would seriously live off of Ramen Noodles! I love the stuff, and can eat it every night. Ryan, not so much it just doesn't really fill him up.
So I made a decision, it just had to be done.
We had Eggs-in-a-hole.
I informed Ryan, and he was totally clueless and didn't like know what I was talking about.
Feel sorry for him, he just moved out from under a rock.

Eggs-in-a-hole:
You take a piece of bread, cut a hole in it.
Melt some butter in a pan, toss holy bread it. Crack an egg in the hole.
And cook on both sides, leaving the yolk runny still.
Then when you cut into your bread, saturated with butter, you also get runny yolk.

It's a pretty easy concept, and really easy to make. Especially on the nights you are scrambling to make dinner fast. (And face it, you ran out of Hamburger Helper or you would have just made that... Well I would have, that or Ramen Noodles if it was up to me)

Still Ryan didn't get it. But guess what... he liked them. Cause he ate 5 of them.
Now, here I sit at work, wondering what do I make for dinner?

My life needs some direction, or more boxes of Hamburger Helper!

4 Wheel Drive: the miracle worker?

Most of my Family and Friends live in places that have winter.
By Winter I mean, snow, cold weather, rain, freezing weather, then ice, snow, cold weather, wind, then drifts.

Anyways, during these winter months they all have to use 4 wheel drive at one point or another.
Which brings me to my discussion today.
Why do people get that warm fussy feeling when they flip on their 4 wheel drive?
You can just as easily wreck with it on, you are still able to go in the ditch.

I think people from out of state who move to a winter state should have to take a winter driving course. Think about it.... How many times have the roads been horrific and you are driving, both hands on the wheel concentrating only on the road. Then out of no where some crazy person passes you talking on the cell phone. Then you read in the paper later they caused a 3 car collision. And they were quoted "but I had my 4 wheel drive on"
This could all be avoided simply by conducting this winter driving course. And if you fail, you don't drive. Take the bus, go green!
Can you imagine how many accidents this would prevent?

Another thing that drives me crazy is when people drive right on your butt on icy roads, if you have to slow down they are going to drive right up your back end, and it's usually people from out of town driving in your back pocket.

Winter time driving is pretty simple, slow down and give yourself a little more room between cars.
And 4 wheel drive doesn't work miracles, it just spins all your tires, it's not like the roads care if you flip your 4 wheel drive on. They can't tell, they will still be icy and can still cause a wreck.
On icy roads, you need to just be careful and be aware of your driving and the person driving behind you and in front of you.
Oh and in my parts of the woods, you also have to watch out for deer.
They don't care about 4 wheel drive either.
What? Just sayin.

Plowing through time, and snow drifts

It's a New Year!
A time to re-cap last year, and a time to make plans for the new one.

But before all that, you must celebrate the New Year. What do you normally do?
Because we are in a new place for the New Year, we didn't do what we usually would.
We stayed home, had some friends over and played Cranium!

Have you ever played? It's a fun game, and will change your life.
Of course it gets better as everyone drinks more, people let their pride go and sing like Whitney Houston, or act like a beaver with courage and no inhibitions. (it's at this point in time, I usually pick the most embarrassing card and laugh until tears roll down my face.)

It doesn't get better when a manly, quiet cowboy gets up and sings "Happy Birthday Mr. President" while he crosses his legs pretending to hold down a dress from the wind.
If only I had it on Video, I could be rich.
That's how we brought in the New Year!

Anyways back to the re-cap of last year, 2008:
We moved to Belt (Windy, snow drifting America) Montana
I was jobless for a while, so I was constantly in the Kitchen creating wonderful deserts.
I decided it was a good idea to paint our whole house.
I realized I hated painting.
I got a Volleyball Coaching job in Belt.
I realized I love coaching.
We had our one year anniversary, both survived unscathed.
We both turned one year older.
I had a series of unfortunate events.
Then I had another series of unfortunate events.
Then Christmas, then the New Year.

What I want to accomplish in 2009:
Finish painting my whole house.
Save enough money to purchase 3 big things: camera, grill guard, gun.
Read 5 books.
Find time to read books.
Put my foot down more at work
Maybe cut my hair (sorry Dad)
Dye my hair when I chicken out about cutting my hair.
Settle for highlights when I chicken out yet again.
Win the lottery
Ride my horse more.
Find time to ride my horse.
Finish the Volleyball Season just as good this year or better.
Visit my friends.
Go visit my friends in their hometown.
Buy jeans.
Buy a plow to plow my snow drifting drive way. I've gotten stuck in it twice... in one day.
I almost didn't make it out today, but I have my truck back so we made it!

I think I should explain these snow drifts better. They have a life of their own, their goal in life is to keep me in the house. I'm serious, I'm a prisoner, they are very good goal achievers.

They are in cohorts with the wind. Either you sink or get stuck in a drift or the wind blows snow, dirt and lord know what else in your face. There is no winning. ever.