The Bedroom Redo

I have been wanting to refresh my master bathroom for some time. I had decided purple. Somewhere in all that, I also read this Epbot blog post from my favorite blogger. Which then led me to ponder the refreshing of my bedroom too!! It had been burgundy with black and white. My bedroom has always been black and white and something. I couldn't figure out how to actually accent with burgundy though, if I wanted to paint the walls. So I decided to switch up the burgundy to turquoise. I also really wanted to make the cool mirror bursts from the Epbot blog. Jen is always posting crafty things and I was so excited to finally be able to do one!!

In all I spent about $200 I think. I have a LOT of material left over. The material (curtains) is really all sheets. Got those on clearance at Target. Pretty sure the paint is the thing only I bought for full price. My mother taught me shopping well!

I had a GREAT time picking out all the new turquoise things and adding some new aspects. The picture wall was a product that just came to me one day and took several days to perfect. I might still play around with the order. The pictures are all family members. So glad to finally have a picture of my dad's mom on display. I am so glad to finally have a bedroom that is decorated and not just "there"!

Below are the after pics :) The only thing I still want to do is fix the crooked George (cat) picture and add a turquoise pillow to the bedding. Haven't felt that creative juice yet though. I have the material… OH, I also want a new ceiling fan and those awesome ceiling tiles I learned about from Jen at Epbot. Someday.

Evaluating 2013

It's 7pm on December 31. Facebook and Twitter are flush with remembrances and dreams. Here are my thoughts in the waning hours of 2013.

In 2013: I got a dog. I had knee surgery. I fell in love with the dog. I hiked to the top of North Dome, thus completing a childhood dream. I started teaching the "smart" kids. I suffered more knee pain, though I like to think it's getting better again. I became KF5YNW. I repainted my bedroom and bathroom. The dog and I went camping.

Huh. Doesn't seem like much for 365 days.

In 2014 I hope to: not have knee pain; change up the landscaping in at least the front yard; hike more; recommit to being vegan; hang out with the dog a lot; move my mom to Texas; lose a little weight; praise God more in public; serve God more; encourage students; transmit on the radio; put on a killer prom for my seniors; be happy.

Seems doable. Here we go!!

SANTA!

For fifteen Christmases I wanted to take George to see Santa. For various reasons, none of which I can remember, besides the fact that she would've hated the process, we never went. BUT, that didn't deter me from making sure Slugger got to see Santa on his first Christmas with me :) Maybe now it'll be out of my system and I never have to subject him to it again. I'll tell you in about 12 months!

Petsmart (and probably Petco) has Santa usually a couple Saturdays in December. It's actually done by the adoption people. Well, it was this year. Apparently in the past you could get a printed picture and a frame just like at the mall. (I guess; I've never done that either!) This year they scaled down and I had to use my own camera/phone and do with the picture what I want. For $5 I was okay with that! Except, I wanted to be IN the picture. Luckily there were people there, other than Santa, who were happy to help.

Now, I had never done this and had no idea what to expect. I called this morning to make sure they were still doing it. Last week's was cancelled due to the ice. Huh, I should post those ice pics. Eh, another time. Anyway, the guy on the phone said he wasn't really sure what kind of crowd to expect since it was a limited affair - 11am-4pm today only.

There was no one there! I had Slugger in his harness cuz I figured he'd be easier to hold on to, move around, etc. It was quite helpful! Santa just sat there. Not sure if he was the husband of the lady in charge or not, but pretty sure someone had bribed him to sit there all day in a santa suit. Slugger was much more interested in the other dogs and smells, but we got him to cooperate, sort of, eventually. Here are the shots :)

Slugger goes Camping!

I have been so excited for this camping trip, I can not even explain! I don't even know why. Except that I've been wanting to get (back?) into camping for some time and it just never made sense, as a single woman. But NOW I have Slugger!!! He loves to hike, so I figured it'd be a natural progression.

What I didn't count on was a cold Thanksgiving!! The weekend before Thanksgiving we had freezing temps, a little yucky precip, and I was getting alarmed at the forecast for Wednesday night! Sooo… using the one skill I learned from Mark, I changed our plans!! We painted the bedroom BEFORE we went camping, and waited until it warmed up a tad. I am SO glad. First, it was cold enough as it was. Second, I'm glad the painting is done because I have no desire to do a darned thing right now!!

I've had a list going for at least a month or two, and a pile on the dining room table for at least a couple weeks! We took the tent into the backyard and tested it out. We practiced with the cook stove too!  I got long underwear and took every warm piece of headwear I own. I bought a fancy new lantern since I happen to really hate the dark.

We painted Wednesday and Thursday. Friday morning we packed up the car and LEFT!! I was so excited that we were at the State Park by 12:30!! I had pitched the tent and unloaded the car by 1pm. And I'd forgotten to bring a book. Or something to do… I wasn't sure my knee would hold up for TWO long hikes, but we were bored. So we got in the car and went to the trailhead. We walked maybe a mile. Just to practice :)

When dad and I were in Yosemite last summer, we spent our first afternoon, before the big hike, exploring Tuolumne Meadows. I thought that would be a great idea for Slugger and I. The state park we were in has a lake, lots of fishing, and a rock climbing area. There's also a trail way, but I'd already seen that and knew it started with a hill, so we skipped that part.

The first place we stopped was the camp store!! They had used books for $1. Jackpot!! I also got a skewer to roast my hot dogs and a coffee cup souvenir (seemed appropriate since I'd forgotten to bring one). Then we drove to the climbing area. We walked around a little. Luckily Slugs wasn't too interested in the edge. The climbers started out at the top and either rappelled down or hiked (way steep, way rocky) down to then climb back up. It was interesting. There were climbers. It wasn't like watching climbers on Half Dome or El Capitan though so we left.

After some time reading and hanging out, I decided it was time for dinner and a campfire. I had bought a bundle of wood at a gas station here in Fort Worth where we bought gas before we left. I got the water on the stove and started on the campfire. Nothing but a lot of smoke. Tried again. The paper burned and nothing. I was running out of paper so I gave in and called Dad :) I tried to ignore the fact that I had full bars 4G while "camping in the middle of nowhere". He gave me a lesson though I think I was hopeless because my wood was oak and I needed a really hot fire to start it. I had flames for a while, but the actual logs never really burned. It was good enough to roast my hot dogs (2 for me, 2 for Slugs, of course) and a couple marshmallows. And now I know!! PINE!!!

Here is Slugs this morning playing in the ashes of our failed fire…

Since I was already wearing all my layers and it was dark, I decided it was time for bed. It was 6:30 :) Slugs went right in the tent with me and we settled down. I read by flashlight a little. The neighbors were rowdy. Then a PA was heard. And we were serenaded with a pretty good rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. The neighbors clapped when it was over!  I went online (since I could) to see what was happening in Mineral Wells… 6-man football state quarterfinals were being held at the MW High School stadium. Two towns I'd never heard of were competing. Luckily, the announcer didn't announce much or very loudly. I have no idea who won!

It was a cold, loud night. The neighbors never did quiet down. Or not for very long at a time. Leaves fell on the tent. Bushes rustled. Slugger did pretty good though. He barked and/or growled here and there but not once it was truly "bedtime". We did wake up (stupid neighbor) at about 1am though. He wanted out and I needed to also, so we had a short walk, and then drove to the bath house. Yes, we drove. Every time. He's not allowed in the building and the campsite was pretty far away anyway. So we drove and he hung out in the car while I went in. He always got a walk too :)

Although it could've been colder, it was still VERY cold. We both shivered. But we snuggled and made it through.  Neighborman woke us up with some very loud profanity at about 7am. Which is what time we've been waking up anyway so I wasn't too upset. And apparently someone complained, or the ranger could hear it from wherever he was, because the park police patrolled pretty regular after that and I think they kicked the loud guy out.

I made coffee and we sat and enjoyed the morning. A couple deer grazed by in the woods near us. I never would've noticed if it weren't for Slugger's amazing eyesight! He just sat and watched them.  I slowly packed up camp and we were off for our hike!!

Deer...

We went about 4.5 miles. Slugger did very well. He even saw an armadillo!! Or I should say, he saw it and chased it off. All I saw was the tail!! The trail was mostly flat until Slugger decided to explore a different part once we got to the area we were headed for. We went about half of a mile up and I gave up, knowing we'd have to go back down which is my knee's least favorite thing to do. But we did it! And several hours later, the knee still feels good!!

The post-adventure nap :)

Everybody needs a dog

Every day when I get home, Slugger is so very happy to see me. He doesn't care how my day went; he just loves me and wants to be with me.

Yesterday, a Monday to beat all Mondays, was just not a good day. I left for work early because I was not ready for the day's teaching. I worked feverishly all day to get grades ready because they were due before I left. Then after school I was to drive to Decatur. Prom will be in Decatur in April so we (my senior officers and I were going to check out the location again. We were all taking separate cars since I'm not allowed to drive them and I wasn't going to come home through Azle. When I got to my car, it would not start. Long story short I texted one of them and said to tour without me. I called AAA. They jumped my car and all was well but following good advice from my dad, I went to Toyota to have them check it out. Luckily, the new battery was under warranty so it was free. They even washed it for me.

So when I finally got home, I was very ready for a smiling happy dog who just wanted dinner and a walk. We walked first. While on our walk, Slugger attempted to eat a weird blossom thing from the weird grass blossom plant thing. He spit it out  and turned to look at me, smiling. The weird wheat blossom thing was hanging out of his mouth. I laughed uproariously. He smiled and danced, and, in his way, laughed with me. I couldn't help but think at that moment, "what bad day?" And, "how does anyone live without a furry friend?"

I don't have any pictures of that moment. I was too busy laughing. But here is a picture of the crazy grass stuff. I call it that because a few short months ago it was just short ornamental grass. And now it's this:

 

Next?

I've been thinking I need to write something. But then I think, how do I follow my last 3 posts?! So, now I have this pitiful post to follow next time I have something to say :) Clever, I am!

AC 100 2013 (21 years later)

This has been an amazing vacation of reunioning, realizing, and reminiscing. Because I just posted to FB saying I couldn't describe this weekend in a FB post, I thought maybe I should attempt to talk about it here! Besides, I have to keep myself awake long enough to finish icing my knee :)

Backstory: Twenty-four years ago my family started running an aid station at the Angeles Crest 100 (AC). This is a 100 mile endurance run over trails from Wrightwood to the Rose Bowl. Well, 24 years ago that's where it finished. About 10 years ago they changed that, but I digress. Our job was to hang out at Shortcut Saddle, about 60 miles into the run, and greet runners. We had food and water and soda and all sorts of goodies. The runners could have their "crew" (friends and family) meet them there to give them any special items and encouragement. There was a medical team who assessed injury and blisters and gave massages and such. It was basically a little city on a wide turn-out on the side of the road. For one night. I LOVED doing this with my family. I even missed Homecoming my senior year of high school so I could go to AC.

The ultrarunner, someone who runs more than the standard marathon, is a special breed of human. They are in FANTASTIC shape and are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet! They have normal jobs but in their free-time, they are found running along trails wherever they live.

At all of the aid stations along the way at AC, there are ham radio operators working diligently to make sure every runner is accounted for at all times. They know where and when each runner was seen last, and where (and sometimes when, back then) to expect them next. My memory of the radio guys at Shortcut was that they were on the other side of the road. I was a teenager and it didn't interest me so that's all I can tell you!

Fast forward to 2013: My trip to CA began with my HS reunion. When dad and I were discussing dates, he mentioned that he was signed up to work radio at an aid station of the AC100. Somehow it was agreed that my trip should finish with helping him! I admit I didn't actually know what helping him would mean until Saturday night! But I knew that I had very fond memories of AC and I had no reason or desire to say no. As it turns out, his usual partner, my uncle, didn't get to go so I was his ONLY help.

Dad's aid station these days is Millard Campground at about 95 miles into the run, the last station before the Finish. It's technically a remote site in that cars aren't allowed up the 100 yard drive to the actual campground. Except ours :) We got there about 4pm to start setting up, the first runner would be there by midnight. Oh, I should mention that I have decided to get my ham license so this was also a big lesson for me. Anyway, we put up the antennas (I'm too tired to go into detail) and got everything up and running. The technology of this is awesome. They use a software program created just for this event to track runners through the computer, using ham radio waves! Dad also had his radio for actual voice talk which he used more than I expected him to.

Bob, the aid station chief, came in while we were setting up. He is an ultrarunner himself and had run from our station the 6.7 miles to the station before us, and back, marking the trail with yellow tape and chalk. These runners run through the night so having a well marked trail is very important!

The rest of the aid station help arrived and we began making dinner. Bob went off down the trail toward the finish, to check out the sunset. What he found was a bike rider who had, for unknown reasons, taken DOWN many of the yellow tape markings! And someone (else?) had smudged out the chalk arrows. To make a VERY long story short, this was very bad, no one did anything about it (who should have at 6pm when we reported it), and so at 3am Bob re-ran it all to re-mark it all, 4.7 miles to the finish and back to us at Millard. Most runners didn't know about any of this but he was kinda the hero of the day. To get lost at 97 miles would royally suck!!

If you think I'm rambling or a little all over the place, you'll see why in a bit. So, the first runner got there at about 11:30pm. He didn't stay long. We had runners fairly steadily all night long, mostly one at a time. There were a few 1 hour gaps between them in the true middle of the night so the aid station folks went to sleep, except Bob. When we realized, via voice ham radio, that the markings had NOT been replaced at 6pm, we knew that Bob was the only one to do it. Why did this matter? It meant I was the only one to be working at the aid station if a runner came in. Not a huge deal because I love this stuff and they were there one at a time and dad could handle the radio side. Oh yeah, my radio job was to write down the "in" and "out" time for each runner so that there was a paper trail of what dad was sending over the waves. Anyway, what this really meant for me, is that if I'd wanted to sleep, it really wasn't going to happen unless I quickly learned how to catnap. I did not get that gene from dad, unfortunately. Maybe I'll grow into it. And thus my exhaustion by the time we got to Big Bear at 6pm on Sunday.

Eventually, people woke up, Bob returned and we all did our "assigned" duties. There were 6 of us there in total. Dad and I were "radio" and Bob, Jeff, Susan, and Summer were "aid". Summer was technically medical but the only thing she did was say that our walker (#127 who took the longest to get to us) was okay, just walking, thus slow. He finished!

The awesome part of being radio and/or the software we were using is that we knew where every runner was. The software gave us a not always accurate ETA, who had dropped out, etc. We knew exactly who was heading toward us, when we might expect them, and when they finished. When the 1st woman came through (39 year old Angela!) her pacer (someone who runs with them to energize, coax, hydrate, etc.) said she was on pace for a course record. We knew, an hour later when she finished, that she'd done it! That's not true because it took us several hours to figure out what the record was (22 hours) but we could look back and knew! She did it in about 21:30. Oh she was also 4th overall!!! That's 21 hours, 35 minutes. Running. On trails. Over mountains. She's MY AGE!!! She SOOOO rocks!!!!

Knowing they were coming meant that I could almost always know their name when they got there since I had the list with bib number and name. I enjoyed being able to say "hi Malcolm, welcome to Millard". It was harder when there were several due within a few minutes because they traded places in order often!

I will have a second blog post about some of the specific runners we saw. We saw 74 runners, and almost all of them had a pacer. It's a very interesting scene that some moments are seemingly boring with absolutely nothing happening and then you see feet ahead on the trail (or bobbing headlamps in the dark), hear a shout (usually from me) "runner", and it's a hive of activity again. Runners stayed from 10 seconds to 5 minutes. I think #69 stayed 10 minutes because he had some soup.

Part of our job is to stay at our site until every runner reaches the next stop, the finish in our case, and until the sweep team got to us. The last runner (who was passed by the last runner we saw) finished in 32:38, 22 minutes before the "cutoff". The sweep team ended up being one poor girl who got to us about 2:30. We were about half packed up (because we still had an antenna up to talk to her and others). We left about 3pm.

Although I began this post just hours later, I hit a wall and went to bed so I could finish it when I had a little brain power left :) The memories and inspiration are still with me though! I can't wait for next year!!!

The 6 of us (plus Perry who brought ice on Sunday morning!) in between runners at about noon... sleep deprived!