Weekend Update: Hockey, Awesome Music, and a Birthday Party (part 1)

Friday night was game 1 of the CCHA hockey playoffs...Mavericks vs the Bowling Green Falcons. Mavs won 6 to 1. Normally, it wouldn't be considered an exciting game, but Bowling Green was the hockey team that cheated, and won a game with us that they shouldn't have in the regular season. So smashing them into the ice was nice to see.

(Coincidentally, they did the same thing on Saturday night....6 to 1. Awesome!!!!)

On Saturday morning, I bummed around the house, doing laundry and other fun things like that. The boys picked me up around lunch, and the three of us headed east to Des Moines. Roxi Copland, one of our all time favorite local artists (from Des Moines), was holding a CD release party...and the 5 of us scored ourselves VIP tickets for the show!!!

I drove most of the way....it seems the Boys needed a little nappy time. :-)





When we first arrived in Des Moines, we stopped at the Girls' house...and then headed out. First stop, Dollar Tree.

Exciting eh?

You just never know where you're going to end up when you go out with us!!!! :-)

Second stop, getting the Boys checked into their hotel.

Here they are, with their Dollar Tree bags, in front of the hotel.



And, as we'd find out minutes later, the wrong hotel! (hehehehehehe)

From there, we headed to Day Dreams, a retail store closer to downtown. I wanted to stop by, because they sell disc golf discs. When we got out of the car, a block from the store, we could smell the place before we could see it. Incense anyone? :-) :-)

I decided that it would be good for me to actually use the discs I have, before buying more. But I'm sure I'll be back this summer to look around!


Des Moines natives in their natural habitat. And, it appears, wearing their finest.

It was about then we noticed the time, and decided to head back to the house to get changed and ready for the night.

Before the show, we stopped at a Mexican restaurant the Girls and I had eaten in last summer...and, it just so happens, is right next door to the hotel the Boys where were actually supposed to be staying. :-)

After dinner, we beat feet downtown. The venue, People's Court.

When we walked in the door, the gentlemen greeting people...handing out the bottles of wine (we rec'd with our VIP tickets)....said...without skipping a beat...."Oh, you must be the Omaha group?" We hadn't given them names or anything yet. None of us were wearing hats that said Omaha....nor were any of us carrying the Nebraska state flag. So.....apparently, we're famous!

Who knew?!?!?!


Our bottles.


Roxi's show was wonderful....as usual! Besides her original work, she did a couple covers I'd never heard her perform. One, in particular, was (correct me if I'm wrong) co-written by Steely Dan.

(Roxi, if you're reading this...keep that one in your set list!) :-)


I'd never heard her play with her band...only solo. It was great!


I knew they wouldn't be able to keep her out from behind the piano long. :-)



The new album, by the way, is awesome!!!

She's out on tour now...if she's in your area...you should go check her out!!!!

The show was done at 9:00, and none of us could decide if we wanted to call it a night or not. There was a bar around the corner that the Girls had never checked out....so the five of us headed over.



We had a cocktail while waiting for the balcony above the dance floor to open. Once it was opened, we headed up.


Makes you wonder what this conversation was about, doesn't it? :-)



Another drink or two....and a couple of really "interesting" conversations later...we all decided to call it a night. We dropped the boys off at their hotel, then headed back to the house.

Sheila and I snacked on some munchies, giggled like school girls, then eventually drug ourselves to bed.

All 5 of us met up the next morning for breakfast.

At a Bar-B-Q joint.



Yep, you heard me right. BBQ for breakfast.


Danny had 4 pancakes....that weighed no less than 5 pounds....and were normal dinner plate sized, at least.


Sheila had a smoked sausage burrito the size of her head.


I ordered a quesadilla with smoked chicken, and a side of the smoked ham.

When breakfast was over, we all said our good byes, and headed back towards Omaha. We had a busy day ahead of us!!!!


(to be cont)

Weekend Update: Ice Bowl 2010

A long, long time ago...in a galaxy far, far away...there lived a fair maiden named Nej. Nej had a blog....but her readers were probably under the assumption she'd been kidnapped and sold into slavery....or abducted by aliens.....or maybe her body was found under the mountain of snow in her backyard that is just now finally melting.

I mean really....it's March already, let's get this spring thing rolling, shall we?

I found out two things yesterday.....1) my car is actually red, not brown and white and 2) there really IS grass under all that white crap! Wahooooooo!!!!! :-)

Oh...but back to the fair maiden.

Monday night of this week, she sat her rump down in front of the laptop and started downloading pictures from her numerous camera memory cards and onto her computer. She was, by gawd, going to get some posting done this week, if it was the last thing she did!

So.....here we are. An actual, honest to goodness blog post.

(whew)

Ice Bowl 2010

Late last year, Mot and I were coerced into bowling on a bowling league...for the first time in many, many...many...many...many, many years.

And, it's been the best decision ever! We have had sooo much fun!!!!

In February every year, the bowling alley that hosts our league, is the venue for a tournament...put on by a committee from our bowling league.

Now, it's bad enough that I actually bowl where people can watch on a weekly basis....but entering me in any kind of competition....crazy talk! But who am I to say no??? :-)

Day one: Saturday. Bright and early, the singles tournament was underway. I didn't bowl half bad....but standing around talking to everyone was the highlight. I'm a wallflower, but I was trying to step outside my box that morning.

I'm glad I did....we had a blast!!

After singles was over, Danny and I teamed up for the doubles competition.

We won 8th...or was it 7th? We were in the top 10...let's just put it that way. Out of nearly 300 bowlers, we placed in the top ten. Me...with my 127 average. Yep...I bowled out my a$$. :-)

After doubles was over....I spent the afternoon in the back room, helping the committee enter bowling scores, keep track of the brackets, etc etc. That night, the five of us....Danny, Steve, Mot, Marianne (Steve's sister) and I went out to eat to celebrate Danny's bday!!!


Steve and his sis.


Mot, Nej and the birthday boy.


We had reservations in one of the back rooms. Sitting on the floor, on pillows....shoes off....sliding doors for privacy....very fun!!!!


Our feet under the table. :-)


I don't remember what that food he has on his plate was....but he ordered it at a hot level 4 I believe.

It was so hot, he couldn't eat it....and he LOVES food that makes your tongue burst into flames.

Sunday morning we were back at it bright and early. Team competition. (Steve, Danny, Marianne and I)

You know how I bowled from my rear the day before during doubles? Yeah, well I completely let the team down on Sunday. Ugh!!!!

It was bad!

At one time, I rolled my ball down the lane....when it was about halfway down...the sweeper bar comes down out of no where, for no reason. BAM!!! My ball slams into it. Everyone around us looks over.

Argh!


The one and only picture I took of someone actually bowling. I was paranoid my flash was going to bother the really serious bowlers, so I didn't get it out.

That night, after all the bowling was complete, we attended the banquet downtown.


Danny reading off names of the winners.


The team (and Danny showing off our doubles winnings).

And....three guesses where we went after the banquet.....but only one of them counts.

They say it's your birthday......

I'd like to take a break this week from the Mostly Wordless Wednesday posts I usually do.....and do a quick repost from the past.

Why, you ask?

Because today is March 10th...duh!!

(crickets)

Really, you don't know what that means?

OK, OK...I'll give you a hint.....it's someone's birthday.

(crickets)

Didn't narrow it down enough for you?

Fine!

It's Steve's birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve, my "green tea frappicino pushing, steal my camera and take pictures of me while drunk, Mr. Rogers for halloween, bestest nap taker ever in the whole wide world" friend!!!!!!

This post is for you sweetie! Love you!!!!!!!!

Monday, April 6, 2009

California, Here We Come (Part 8) The Final Frontier

Steve has an ability that served to amuse us the whole weekend. It wasn't until near the end of the trip before I started documenting it.

I call this final installment of our California trip....."Where is Steve sleeping?"

Ready?

1)


2)


3)


4)


5)


6)


7)



1) On the boat back from Alcatraz.
2) Driving to Napa...at a red light.
3) Breakfast near the Ritz.
4) Driving to the airport.
5) Safeway (stopped for packing tape)
6) On the airtram from the rental car drop off to the terminal.
7) On the plane.

I plead temporary insanity.

So....I've been really busy at work lately, which explains my lack of time in blogland. But...the last three days, I've also been battling the mother of all colds.

No, battling is the wrong word. I gave up, threw in the towel, succumbed to the cold yesterday and stayed home.

Here is an example of why it was a good thing I was home, and not driving...or at work making important decisions.

Let me set the scene for you.....

It's a similar scene in any of your houses, I'm sure, when you're home ill.

I'm on the couch. Flannel pants, Mavs tshirt, hair resembling a birds nest, couch pillows nested around me, curled up in a blanket, black lab sprawled across my lap. Bottles of advil and nyquil on the coffee table next to a roll of toilet paper (out of kleenex), a bag to throw them in when used....the three tv remotes, jug o water....and both my cell phone and the house phone. Weeds Season 3 discs at the ready.

Absolutely no need to get up, unless I need to wander to the bathroom and back.

Mot is at work. His cell phone is on the charger on the table next to me. (He forgot to take it.)

It's been a busy day for Mot...promotional testing and all. So the phone is buzzing, and beeping and vibrating like crazy. Everyone wants to know how he did.

I'm ignoring it...it's not my phone.

I finally slip off to sleep, with the DIY network on the tv in the background.

His phone buzzes...I wake up. (sigh)

I grab my phone, and start texting....

"Watching DIY TV. Does Chris have a wood planer we can borrow?"


"And by the way, your phone is going bats today. Texts and emails both."


"See, there it goes again."


"And I just realized I'm talking to you, via my phone, sending texts to your phone to tell you that your phone is driving me nuts."


"And it's right behind me...so you're not getting these messages."


I blame the drugs. :-)

Actions Speak Louder than Words: Meet Ferret

When meeting new people, I try not to smear their reputation by posting videos of them doing silly things on my blog.
At least, not until we've hung out more than once.

After that.....they're fair game like everyone else.

(pictures, on the other hand, go into effect immediately)

In an attempt to protect the innocent, we shall call him.....Tim?

(hehehe...gotta love a Monty Python reference!)

But Tim doesn't work. How about Ferret?

(nickname origin is secret, and shall not be divulged)

(for any cost)

(unless it's a bunch of money...then maybe)

(or jewelry)

(there's a new Audi that's pretty nice)

Anyway.......

Ferret's awesome! And this video is one of the reasons he gets along with the group so darned well.

(he's the guy in the brown sweater)



Whoops...nope, that's not the one. :-) :-) Love ya Mot!!!!

Oh wait...here it is.

(keep watching....it happens about 27 seconds in)



Avoid the camera when it's recording? Nope, not for him.

Make a statement when camera is recording.....now that's more like it! :-)

And then there's this one.....

He may hate me for posting this...but Steve insisted.

That's right Ferret, blame Steve. I had nothing to do with it.

(whistling)

Really. :-)



Welcome to the group Tim. :-) :-) :-)

Mostly Wordless Wednesday: Toilet Paper Sam

At least she was keeping herself occupied...right? :-)

Weekend Update: Ghost of Weekends Past (2)

OK folks....it's winter in Nebraska. And not only that, but the Nebraska winter has been traded with Siberian winter.

Uh huh...there are people in Siberia, wearing shorts and tshirts, because they have our 30 degree weather.

Seriously.

Would I make this sh*t up?

Anyway....why do I tell you this?

Because I'm looking for excuses to explain why every one of my non puppy posts is about going to the bar.

Really...it's the only place I take pictures any more. From bar to hockey, from hockey to bar. From bowling to bar.

Here's the thing...the four of us hang out...all the time. We've just traded our normal get together spots (our house, their house, etc) for the Worm.

But they have tequila, and chicken nachos!!!

Can you blame us? :-)

We've jumped ahead a week....so come with me to Feb 12th -13th.

Come on...it's safe!


As per tradition. (Our tradition.) There must always been a hand print in the front on the daiquiri machine. Always.

Look in the background of other pictures I've taken other nights.....there will always be one. :-)


This is Josh and Monica (Helga). They live downtown, and are usually there when we are. They're from Michigan.

Michigan was in town for hockey. Instead of going to the game...we all stayed at the Worm and watched it on TV.

Mavs won...Michigan lost. (We invited them to come sit with us at the game on Saturday..they didn't show. We must give them crap!)


Every once and a while, we'll get a shot or two of one of her reeeaalllly top shelf stuff to share and try.

I won't tell you what we call this one.

It's nickname is inspired by the shape of the bottle.

That's all I'll say.

At some point in the evening...a fuse blew in the black and white hallway from hell. (which, by the way, is a term of endearment...never change the floor Nat...you hear me?)

It was mere moments before we all raced down the dark hallway to the source of the problem...the light switch in the men's' room.

All I can say is....."never let drunk men with power tools try to fix your shorted out light switch."


And never let a drunk person run the camera. It was pitch black down there. All we had were candles. And I just started shooting pics and video. The video is all sound....because it was so dark (duh)...and the pictures all turned out something like this.


Right after I took this, everyone was blind. I had no idea who I was going to get in the shot. Pitch black is an understatement! :-)


Working on the switch by candlelight.


We found the problem was more than we could handle at that time, so the door to the hallway was locked.

Some would unlock it to go to the restroom (there's another restroom, but they insisted on peeing in the dark)....and then "someone" would lock them in the hallway. It never ceased to get old. :-)


At some point, the camera was taken from my possession....and when I woke up the next morning, it was in my purse.


We entertained Chris, and the rest of the staff, all night.


Do you see Danny's wet leg. Do you want to know how it happened? He spilled a full margarita on the floor.

Directly on my foot.

I was squishing around in my shoe the rest of the night.

Apparently a little of it got on him.

After this...the events of the night become fuzzy. I've mentioned the horrible week I'd had at work....well, I successfully forgot all about work that night.

I also forgot how we got home (thank you Steve!). And I forgot about the snowball fight in our front yard (which I apparently TRIED to take pictures of).....



Steve and Danny chickened out of the hockey game the next night (lazy bums!)...so Mot and I went together...just the two of us. Date night!!!!!!!

Mavs won again. Woohoo!!!!!!!

And, I'll have you know. Just so you don't think we complete drunks. We didn't go to the Worm before or after the game.

Sunday was bowling day...but I'd already prebowled (our quartet was supposed to sing in Lincoln that day). The gig got canceled...(actually we canceled it....there were blizzard white outs going on, and the interstate was shut down due to pile ups and such)....so Mot went bowling, I stayed home and napped on the couch with Sam.

Ah, puppy napping. Love it!!!!!

Weekend Update: Ghost of Weekends Past

I fell off the "blogging about my weekend" wagon during the month of February. There are a million reasons, none of which are interesting enough to write about. Life happens...you know?

So....let's travel back in time. Omaha. Stardate 63563.4. (Feb 5th, 6:00 pm)

(I had to look that one up.)


The weekend had finally arrived. Ohio St was in town for hockey. Mot and I headed down after work, and the boys arrived not too long after. We met at the Worm, and headed over to the arena.


It was snowing. But really, is that worth mentioning? It's been doing that since June 7, and is going to continue until August 14th.

Per the Farmer's Almanac.

OK, not really. But that's what it SHOULD have said. :-)


And, as with smoke and flame...where there's snow, there are snowball fights.






Durango, the Maverick mascot, came up to say hi. It's not often he moseys up to our neck of the woods.

Mavs won. There were over 13,000 people in attendance. Fun game!

Since Natalie wasn't at the Worm before the game, and since we parked right across the street (how very convenient, eh?)...we went in to see if she was there on our way back.

She was.

But...she wasn't working. Her and her hubby had been on vacation all week, and she just stopped in to check the place out and say hi...so, she sat down and hung out for a while.


Danny and Steve brought that bottle in to her. Aren't they sweet???


I have this thing about stealing Danny's hats. The one I was wearing in Denver, Danny's. This one, Danny's. This one didn't work so well with the ponytail though. :-)

Mot had to work the next night, and Danny was staying put at home...so Steve and I went to the game Saturday night.


We decided to try out the chicken nachos. (maybe not the best weight loss food, eh? but heck, there's grilled chicken in there...that's healthy...protein is needed...and guac, that's a veggie....right?)

:-)

Ferret and his buddy Chad were there when we arrived. The only pic I have of Chad is actually a video of him singing some sort of Illinois fight song or something. Not being an Illinoigian (hehehe), I'm not sure what it was.

The four of us headed over to the game (Mavs won, again!!), then on our way back to our vehicles......well......

Yeah......you guessed it.


Natalie said I'd never get a good picture of her. She doesn't know me well enough to know that it was then a challenge. :-)


Steve and I playing taxi service for Ferret that night.


We invited sleeping "beauty along" for Sunday Funday donut morning. Mot met us there when he got off of work that morning.

Then, after breakfast, the two of spent the rest of the day dismantling the desk in our den...and covering yet another wall of the room in bookshelves. :-)

From there we went to bowling, then home to get ready for the upcoming week.