Spring Break SNOW

 Friday, March 15, the last day of school before Spring Break. NOT! We woke up to a FOOT of snow!!! And it's not done.  Might be a different break than expected. Like no trail runs probably! 

Pics at 8:30am

What. A. Week!

 The highs and lows of the last week are kinda extreme. Well, the lows aren't really lows, just aggravations. 

The washer that came with the house was dying - didn't want to do the final rinse unless I tried really hard (like ran the final spin over and over and took out half the stuff, etc). So, last Saturday, Dad and I finally got the gumption to get my old washer from his garage into my house. We did it! We were so proud of ourselves!! And the newly placed washer was worse than the original! Not only didn't it do the final spin right but it didn't drain at all. It drained the soapy part but not the final rinse. There was a drum full of water (and clothes). I almost cried. But of course, I really wanted a new set anyway, so one was ordered before we even got around to eating the dinner I made (which I didn't like but Dad said was good). 

The week was busy. Sunday I went for a run and my knee was giving me issues so I made a chiropractor appointment for Monday afternoon. I get there, and of course he's WAY behind, so I said never mind and left. 

Tuesday I had an appointment with the local tire guys to see what they could do with my slow leak. They said it was unrepairable and I needed 4 new tires. WHAT?!?! But he could replace them for $1000. Uh, no thanks. I am pretty darn sure that I don't need all new tires. Maybe 1, so really 2. Talked to the auto teacher at school and when they have time they're gonna take a look for me. And I got a name of a tire place in Apple Valley from a neighbor, just in case. But really?! Ugh.

I don't remember Wednesday. Oh, ha. Dad came over and helped me get both washers into my truck, individually, and I took them, one at a time, to the dump. Dad's such a good man! I didn't even feed him.

Thursday was Slugger's monthly shot, but also his annual visit with Dr. D. This was actually a high point. He raved about how well Slugger did inside. Oh, they had construction issues so it's like during covid where I sit in my car and they take Slugs. Doc then calls with his report. Anyway, Slugger was awesome, looks good, none of his lumps and warts are worrisome. He didn't even hear the heart murmur which means it didn't get worse, though it is still there so we keep an eye on it every year. They did some bloodwork and we left to get dinner. Dad came over and I didn't make him do any manual labor :) 

Oh, the BEST news of the week/month/year was earlier on Thursday (started happening Wednesday?) - I think I've made my last student loan payment EVER! They processed the Azle form and my new payment count eligible for forgiveness is 134. Only need 120!!! So THEY put it in forbearance while all the paperwork is getting processed and such. I won't cry until I see $0 balance but I'm SO CLOSE!!!

Friday dawns... I was still living the student loan high, and happily expecting the delivery of the new washer/dryer. Well, I was at work, Dad was at my house. The installer dude BROKE a pipe! Like the pipe in the wall that goes to the water!! I hurriedly called a plumber who finally came this morning. So I spent about 24 hours with  no water in the house. Luckily I am prepared for this since when the power goes out, I have no water. Slugger and I survived. The guys fixed the pipe (and turned back on the water heater that had gone out cuz of the ferocious wind overnight while there was no water). And I will figure out how to get Home Depot to pay for it. And will never use them again. 

Oh and my amazing awesome Dad was here before 10am and stayed long enough for me to get home and walk the dog. THEN he went into town to get dinner and brought it back!!! 

Because all that wasn't enough, this morning I burned my bagel, then cut my thumb pretty good on the second one. The wind has caused power to flicker several times. BUT so far, no snow and barely any rain. Mostly blue skies all day actually. And amazingly ferocious wind. They say we could still see snow. It's 325pm and it's blue sky over us (not so much at the west end).

Anyway, I need a nap. And an influx of money to refill my savings. BUT THANK GOD I HAVE SAVINGS!!! I can't imagine how stressful this week would've been if I didn't. 

Road trips aren't cheap

Whowee road trips aren't cheap! I have planned out the basics of the trip - air, flight, car. More or less what I'll do each day, but not the specifics. That's what the next 3.5 months are for :) But man, all those hotels add up!! So now I get to see what I can adjust as the months go by to make at least that part cheaper. Already planning to buy lunch and snack food to eat on the road, as opposed to restaurants. And many of the hotels do include breakfast so that's a plus. There's not really any other way to cut costs. Though I'll also keep an eye on car rental prices just in case they go down. 

I also keep telling myself that it's the trip of a lifetime and I need to enjoy it.

Oh, I could also cut out the baseball part... 

Survived

 Well, I survived the first real weather. My road is even almost dry again. Totally rutted and awful, but usable. We are supposed to get more this week. Yay. Though it won't be much. Just enough to be a nuisance getting to work in the mornings and getting up the road in the afternoon. Yay. Good news is that we have less than a month until Spring Break when we should be mostly done with the stupid weather. Spring snow isn't that big of a deal, hopefully! 

Slugger and I have escaped a couple times to find dry dirt. I tried running up 2N02 yesterday but it was gross much of the way. Did some hill repeats on the dry parts. 

I. Hate. Winter.

Planning Days

To me, winter is about planning Summer Break (and more). Whether that's a trip or house projects, it always gets me through the doldrums of snow and being stuck inside and such.

This weekend I started (continued?) planning one of each :) 

Yesterday Slugger and I escaped off the mountain and stopped at Lowes for paint color cards. Someone mentioned that a nice grey might be pretty on the cabinets now that the countertops are their gorgeous "slate". So I got about 50 different shades of grey (hehe) cards. I narrowed it down to about a dozen and they are now hanging on the doors so I can see them in different lights, etc. I kinda want a darker grey because it seems like lighter might just seem like dirty white. The plan is to get a couple actual samples and during spring break (if I wait that long!) actually paint a couple doors. OR something like that. 

These are the ones that went the best with the slate countertops. 
Leaning toward the two overlapped on the left that are basically the same color. 

Then the rest of the weekend was dedicated to planning the BIG ROAD TRIP!! I've been dreaming of this trip for years and it has expanded to include some baseball. The baseball portion is BOOKED!! Well not the games. I'll probably not buy tickets until I get there. That's how I used to always do it. We'll see. I have 5 months to decide!! 

So, Tigers, then probably train to Chicago, Cubs, Brewers, and Twins! THEN I head to North Dakota to start the adventure part of the trip!! EEEEEEE!!!! I am SOOO Super excited!!!! I know I'm not going to want to hurry through ND and SD. But I will also be missing my puppy excruciating amounts. But I may never go back so I gotta see the stuff :) 

Still hope to get the stupid wall done this summer too. We'll see!!

January 2024

 Whew! What a month! Really what a couple of weeks! 

First, I flew to TX for a wedding. I hadn't been back to North TX since I pulled out in the UHaul. Thanks to Jeff getting married, I got to go back! Of course, January can be hit or miss with weather and it was definitely a miss this time! I almost didn't go. Weather peeps were saying it'd be cold, which I can live with, but Sunday night was to be wet and cold and in TX that can be very very bad. My plane was scheduled to leave Monday morning. But I went anyway. 

Friday's afternoon flight was 2.5 hours late but it was okay cuz I just kept shopping and I finally found the perfect dress (though in the end, the maxi skirt and sweater would've been better due to frigid temps). 

Saturday dawned bright and decent (65 high). I went off to see the Taylors. The kids were off at college of course, but C and P had recently retired and they are loving life! P drove us to Dallas and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. We wandered around exploring exhibits and catching up and sharing stories. Museums are a wonderful way to spend time visiting I've learned. The museum itself was fun - very hands on and engaging. Definitely a great place to take kids. We stopped at Whataburger on the way back and it was YUMMY of course!! Wish I"d had time to eat there more than once over the weekend. Oh well. I did have a dress to fit in to after all.

Left behind the Taylors and made my way north of FW to the home of the Elliotts where Jeff (not the groom) would join us for dinner and games. Missing L&Q who moved to Wisconsin. We watched some football (Jeff's Chiefs), had scrumptious bbq and sides, and played a fun game (I don't remember the name of course). 

Sunday was wedding day, but first I slept in and relaxed a bit before going to PeiWei for lunch with the GGs. I was very sad to learn that PeiWei had changed ownership and the tofu was NOT the same at all, but overall the pad thai was still yummy. And now I can stop wishing we PeiWei closer! 

Left the GGs and went back to the hotel to change for the wedding. The venue was beautiful but it's hard to enjoy beauty when it's 12 degrees outside. Nonetheless it was FABULOUS to witness the union of Jeff and Stephanie and see several old friends. 

I don't miss TX at all, but golly do I miss certain people. Luckily I was able to hug them and catch up and overall it was a good weekend. Until it came to leaving... to make a VERY long story short, I drove to the airport Sunday night to avoid having to drive in the mess on Monday morning. Good choice. Except I was there longer than I should've been. I ended up on a plane at almost 5pm that took me to SNA instead of ONT but Dad rescued me and drove me to my truck. Good Dad he is! I took Tuesday off and slept and recovered. SO glad I did. 

So I worked 3 days and then left for a WASC visit. That had it's own craziness. In a nutshell: the other committee members drove me insane AND I didn't sleep well the entire time. I was a WRECK in class on Thursday but I was actually glad to be there cuz it was better than another day cooped up with the crazy people. The school I visited was lovely so that was a plus :) Oh, and I missed a storm that left not much snow but apparently some gross roads so yay for being elsewhere. 

And February is supposed to start with snow. Yay. 

Winter Break Week #3

 Everything is off my list except "clean good". Well, know what? That "good" part is relative. I DID clean. Sort of. 

I finished the baby blanket and it's ready to be packed for next weekend. I also finished putting together my thank you gift montage for my Secret Santa. Hope she loves it all!

On Thursday, Slugger got into a row with a couple loose dogs. He's got some scrapes but he's okay. 

I FINALLY finished the kitchen counter project!! Now, technically, I haven't ruled out eventually putting a little white between each of the back splash tiles but I like it the way it is, I think. And the kitchen is clean and put back together!!! YAY!!!! So, see, I cleaned.

The BIG thing of the week that wasn't on the list cuz I didn't know it was a thing, is that it seems I've unclogged the drains. Last weekend when I did laundry, I think, it backed up into the bathroom sink. Or at some point. Anyway, I put baking soda and vinegar down all the drains except in the guest bathroom (cuz I didn't think about it until like an hour ago). Washing machine did weird things, but I think it was unrelated. No gurgling! No gurgling when I take a shower! AND I'm currently running the dishwasher and NO gurgling!! So maybe there'd been a clog as long as I've lived here?! I'm thinking it might be a good idea to run the mixture down the drains every month or two. Or every break :) Anyway, I think I have success. 

It snowed on Wednesday. Little over an inch. It's been cold though so it's lingering in places. I got in my NYD run but not a run on Wednesday. I burned some calories in the exercise room instead. Then today I headed up 2N02. It was sketchy in places but nothing impassable, on foot. There were vehicles but I would NOT have done that!! And it was beautiful :)

1/1/24 run

Snow!

Saturday run up 2N02

That's about it. Now a whole lot of puppy snuggles until the alarm goes off really really early on Monday morning!