40,000 Stars in the Evening

I could give a rat's ass about the royal wedding and I totally poo-poo'ed my co-workers' reception for it in the break room today, but I have to say, I sure didn't mind eating crumpets with cream cheese and homemade violet jelly.

Here is Heidi. Coming for me. Watch out!

This was the post I started on Friday, but never finished. I took a half day off work and got a lot done. I figure I'll just write about it on my lunch break and get back to you.

Too Late, Too Late to Stay Home and Sit Around

Here is a pretty spot where we stopped on our bike ride last weekend.

So, last night was lovely. I ran after work and then The Guy and I made dinner together and had a great talk and watched another Andy Griffith episode. It was the "feminist" one where Ellie runs for city council. It's interesting to see the point of view from back then.

Tonight I'm planning on giving plasma after work, then coming home to an empty house. The Guy will be at his mom's and Stinky will be at work. I think I will sit in my quiet little cottage and watch a movie. How quaint of me.

I'm So Wired Up. Don't Need No Coffee In My Cup.

Here are some Star Trek Captains hanging above a pool table in Riverside Iowa.

So, I had a hard time sleeping on Monday night. I kept waking up and not being able to fall back to sleep. Since I have so much vacation time saved up, I decided to use a half day of it and go home at noon and nap. I highly recommend it.

I had Stinky call me when she was done with school, so I would wake up and get her and get things done for the rest of my afternoon. I did go donate plasma and I ran after that. I was going to heat up something easy for dinner, but The Guy came home from his bike ride and said he was craving sushi and asked if I'd let him take me out for some. Who was I to say no?

I had a wonderful half day off and was able to sleep well last night. I guess we'll see what tonight brings, but I feel a million times better today than I did at this time yesterday.

Let's all remember to stop, relax and take care of ourselves when we can, okay?

We Could Steal Time. Just for One Day

Me in front of the Sutliff Tavern sign.

Whew! But I'm tired. I think I might finally have worn myself out this weekend.

Friday night The Guy and I made shrimp fajitas and drank some wine and then tried to watch the movie, Dead Man. We got about halfway through before we both started dozing off. It's a good movie...Just a little on the slow side.

The boys hitching up the bikes across from the Harley's.

After going to bed at 10 the night before, I still slept in until after 7. It was a good thing I got so much rest, though. I did a very few things around the house and took Stinky to work before The Guy and I met Bry at the Hamburg Inn. We ate and then headed to The Mill. I'm not sure why went there. A bunch of cyclists met there to start their ride, but we didn't ride with them, because they seemed like they were going to stop at every bar in the world, and we only wanted to stop at a couple of bars.

Bry pointing toward the dangerous bridge.

We rode one hell of a hilly 55 mile bike route around Lake McBride and all the way to the Sutliff Bridge. We did stop at a bar or two and when we got to Sutliff, Bry started playing pool with the locals and we stayed way later than we thought. I was happy because I was able to handle the hills and both The Guy and Bry gave me some great riding tips. We were out so long, that we rode country roads around dusk. It was a little scary watching out for the deer that were bounding around all over the place, but we did get to see a fox too and that was cool.

The bridge - half washed away from the flood a few years ago.

We finally got home around 9, ordered a pizza and ate it while watching an Andy Griffith episode. Yeah. We sure know how to party on a Saturday night, don't we? But I really wouldn't have it any other way.

On Sunday I putzed around a lot and went running. The Guy took my car and got it washed and shop vac'ed the hell out of the inside. I can't believe what a lucky girl I am sometimes.

We went on another ride on Sunday. That one was almost 38 miles. It was lovely. Then The Guy took himself out for a nice dinner and to play pool with Bry, while I had some alone time with Stinky. We went out for breakfast for dinner and then came home and watched the most recent Harry Potter movie.

Needless to say, I am taking the day off from any kind of exercise.

We Wanna Wait, But Here We Go Again

The guy riding down the bucolic stretch of road.

Last night was hectic but very nice. Paul Harding is a great reader and very down to earth and funny and self-deprecating for a Pulitzer Prize winning author. I highly recommend seeing him read...And definitely read Tinkers.

Tonight there will be more thunderstorms, but that's okay. I kind of like staying in and eating, having a glass of wine and watching a movie.

Tomorrow we'll meet our friend Bry at the Hamburg Inn for an early lunch before our 50 mile bike ride to the Sutliffe Bridge and back. I have no idea what we'll do Saturday night, but I have a feeling after the ride, it will involve resting.

How about you all/ Do you have a wild ride planned for the weekend?

Stealing Down a Wrong Way Street

My friend Bry asked me to send him a pic of all of us in a topless pillow fight, except The Guy. he wanted The Guy to wear a parka. so, we took a pic of the opposite of what he wanted.

So, the dinner party was lovely and fun. I made my veggie enchiladas and refried beans and we had chips and de gallo and guac and sour cream and bean dip... And the tequila tasting.

The Guy helping his ex with the tequila tasting.

We decided 3 - 1 that we liked Don Julio over Patron. Who knew?

Me making my decision.

Tonight I am going running with E. after work, then going to hear Paul Harding (last year's Pulitzer Prize winner) read with my friend K. The Guy is going to his mom's house and Stinky is going to a concert in Cedar Falls. It's weird when we're all out of the house for an evening.

See Him Drink. From a Bottle. See Him Eat. From a Plate.

Here is a photo series of the cats playing hide and seek in the laundry room...Apparently, Archie will never learn.
My post yesterday wasn't about my relationship at all. Sure, The Guy thinks I'm scary (but who doesn't?) But it isn't like one of us wants to get married AT ALL. It was more about how me and my girlfriends laugh about guys in general. You know, just because you express interest in a guy, doesn't mean you want to marry them, but a lot of guys we know seem to think that way. Silly boys.

So, tonight I'm having a small dinner party for me and The Guy, G., my friend S., maybe her boyfriend, maybe E. and The Guy's ex. I'm making Mexican food and we have stuff for margaritas. I'm excited.

Since we have two different kinds of good tequila, The Guy's ex suggested that we do a taste test. So, I wrote to my friend S., and said:

Me: Would you be into doing a tequila tasting with us? I have a blindfold for it and everything. How fun is that?

S.: You had me at blindfold. See you at 7. xoxo

My friends are hilarious.

Imagine All the Girls, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah and the Boys, Ah Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah

Here is a creepy fake owl I saw at a cemetery a couple of weeks ago.

So, we're still watching The Andy Griffith Show and last night it was the one where Andy asked Ellie to a picnic. At first he was all nervous and worried he'd get rejected. Then he decided she was trying to trick him into marrying her and started freaking out. It's funny how a half a century later, guys still do that.

I don't know many women who do that. I would be interested to hear my blogger's thoughts on that phenomenon. What are guys so afraid of? Do they think all women want to steal their souls and if so, do they feel powerless against us?

I love asking deep, philosophical questions inspired by The Andy Griffith Show. Just imagine what I'll come up with once we get to the episodes with Goober in them...

And All the World is Biscuit Shaped. It's Just There for Me to Feed My Face

The Guy and I before the race.

The weather outside was frightful, but this weekend was so delightful...And yes, it did snow on Saturday morning.

On Friday night, we ate our veggie lasagna and bread and salad and drank our wine and watched Boogie Nights and it was cold and rainy outside, but nice and warm and cozy inside. I love those kind of nights.

Here's me trying to kick it in at the end of my race.

Saturday was pretty mellow. We did a few things around the house and had eggs and veggies and potatoes for breakfast. Then in the afternoon, the guy went to lunch with his ex and I went to get a few things for the house. I got some wine glasses, silverware and a table cloth, all very much on sale. As much as I hate to shop, I sure don't mind good deals.


E. and Roger and I after the race. All tired and with bunny ears. Precious.

Since Saturday was the 6 month anniversary of The Guy trying so hard to get out of a date with me, he got hit by a pick-up truck, I thought I'd celebrate it by making him go out on another date with me...I figured he wouldn't try that excuse again. I wined and dined him at the Tuscan Moon in Kalona. It was lovely and wonderful. We drove home and tried to watch a couple of episodes of the first season of The Andy Griffith Show on Netflix streaming. I made it through the first one, and nodded off during the second. Hey. 1 out of 2 ain't bad.

Here's me all done with the race with the water bottle and towel The Guy had all ready and waiting for me.

We woke up early on Sunday to get ready for my race. With a few lapses, (in judgment) I've basically been single for 8 years. I'm used to doing everything for and by myself. I've done several races and they were all fine without anyone around to watch or support...But I have to say, it sure is nice to have help in all of this. The Guy drove me to where I was supposed to be and then parked the car and met me. He held me and E's jackets while we ran, took great pics before, during and after and had water bottles and towels ready for us the minute we were done. I really don't think I could ask for a better boyfriend.

After the race, we went out for a greasy breakfast, then went home and took a nap. In the afternoon, we got up and rode our bikes to Hills and then extended the route a bit past there with our friend Bry. Nice, nice, nice.

'Scuse Me, While I Kiss the Sky

Here are some pics that will give you cause to look up.

Oh, weekend. How I'm looking forward to you...

Today it is cold and rainy here in East central Iowa. Tonight The Guy and I will eat the lasagna I made last night with bread and salad and wine and hopefully watch Boogie Nights. I haven't seen it in at least 10 years.

Tomorrow we don't have many plans. It's supposed to be cold and rainy again, so it could be a good day to get things done around the house and run some errands. In the evening, The Guy and I are going out for dinner at The Tuscan Moon in Kalona. It's been a while since we've been there.

Here is a nest of bikes.

On Sunday morning I will do the first 5K of the season. We might go out for breakfast after the run and we're loosely planning an afternoon bike ride if the weather permits.

How about you all? Will things be looking up for you this weekend?

If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out.

So, we went to The Guy's bike race last night and it was fun. It was in a town that was predominantly Amish or Mennonite, so there were many horse and buggies to contend with.

Here is The Guy getting ready to race.

We brought my bike with, so I rode around the country roads and took pics while I waited for the racers to come back into sight.

In the end, The Guy had a mechanical malfunction, so he wasn't able to finish the race. It was too bad, but we were still able to drive off into the sunset for Mexican food and margaritas after all was said and done.

I Don't Believe In Peter Pan, Frankenstein or Superman

The Guy and I - all bike geared-out.

So, the guy has a bike race tonight. There is a beginner women's race and The Guy asked me if I wanted to try it. I'm definitely interested, but I want to watch it a few times first, because I'm cautious and I hate not knowing what I'm doing in a thing.

I guess my friend Stacy was right when she told me I wasn't the kind of person who could watch people racing and having fun, without wanting to try it myself. Right now, I think my first bike race will be in June. Eek!

When I Look Out My Window. Many Sights to See

I don't have a lot to say today, so here is a picture of some sheep in a field. It is Spring here in Iowa and there are lambs and calves aplenty. We startled tons of them by riding our bikes past. I really do love Iowa...No matter what anyone else says about this state.

Do you love the state you're in?

The Heart is a Bloom. Shoots Up Through the Stony Ground.

The boys riding behind the corn statue.

So, I'm a broken record, but man what a great weekend I just had. Friday night with The Guy was amazing. The Guy was already setting up the internet by the time I got home. I made some halibut breaded in panko and parmesan cheese and then fried, toasted almond rice pilaf, Greek salad and then bought some kalamata olive bread at the Co-op. We drank some wine and then had a wonderful talk.

Bry finding a way into our friend S.'s house.

On Saturday, I ran some errands and then The Guy and I got ready to ride. We met our friend Bry and his friend Timmer and rode our bikes to Riverside, Iowa - the future home of James Tiberius Kirk. It was a beautiful day for a ride and even though we had to ride over a few gravel roads, we had a great ride.

We stopped at a place called Murphy's to eat and drink a beer and then off to our friend, S.'s house to check out the progress he's making in all of his renovations. He was at work, so we went in and amused ourselves.

Here is the guy busting Bry's balls...Or something like that.

Bry decided it would be a great idea if we moved S.'s stuff all around to different places in his house and then we setup dorky photo shots with some of the tools. Thank god we're all stuck in second grade, or we wouldn't be so easily amused.

The Guy riding down an Iowa road.

We rode home and found a great cemetery in a town called Sharon Center. We stopped there and sat on the loveseat swing thingy and enjoyed the perfect weather, before we headed to Kalona and back to Iowa City.

Me all blissed-out on the ride.

We stopped at the Dublin once we were back in town to see S. and show him the pic of Bry throwing a brick through his window. Yeah. We thought he'd appreciate that. Then The Guy and I were exhausted. We rode home and ordered a pizza for us and cheesy bread sticks for Stinky (her fave). We watched Breaking Away finally. Of course, I dozed off a couple of times in the movie. That's how you know I'm tired - if a hot 70's Dennis Quaid couldn't keep me awake, nothing could.

The guy and friends - cat napping.

Sunday was another busy, but wonderful day. We got up and ate French toast before The Guy cleaned the back gutters and I raked the front yard. Stinky blew off her friends to hang out with me, while the guy tried to ride his bike in ridiculously high winds and then he went grocery shopping and ran errands. Of course, Stinky wanted to go to the mall. It wasn't the way I would have chosen to spend a couple of hours on a beautiful day, but I was just happy to spend them with Stinky at all.

Stinky went off with her friends and I came home and ran my 6 mile route. The Guy and I both did a few household chores and then went to The Mill for dinner and a nice walk around town, before I dropped him off to play pool with Bry and I went home to watch Picnic at Hanging Rock.

Now, I'm getting some rest at work, finally. I would gladly give up rest for such a great and busy weekend, though.

The lean and hungry Type

Bracing myself for the weekend.

Well, kids. It's the weekend again...And this one I'm starting with my tax return in my account. Hurray! It's one hell of a good way to start the weekend. We don't have internet at home yet, because we were all busy last night and no one had time to install it. I'm sure we'll get it up and running sometime this weekend.

The plan tonight is to go home and chill. I may or may not run, but I'll definitely make some halibut breaded in panko and parmesan cheese, with rice pilaf, veggies bread and salad. I'm hoping some wine will be consumed and then a movie watched. (according to my sentence structure it will all be very passively done)

Saturday morning we'll run errands and then at noon we're riding our bikes to Riverside, eating at a place called Murphy's and then riding back home. For the first time in a while, we don't have any social obligations on Saturday evening...And that's just fine with me.

I'm not sure what I'll do on Sunday. I have to buy a lawn mower at Sears, for sure, but everything else is pretty weather dependent. If the rain holds off, I'm assuming I'll run and ride.

How about you, blogging buddies? Will you be running, riding or getting refunds?

I'm Happy. Hope You're Happy Too

Here is a path to a bridge.

I don't have much to write about today. The weather is warming up finally and that makes me happy. I had a good swim this morning, and that made me happy. Other than a little self-imposed stress, (I know. I'm always my own worst enemy) my world is lovely. I hope yours is too.

One Thing Can Lead to Another, It Doesn't Take Any Sacrifice

Here is a series of photos of The Guy draped in orange cat. It's a good look for him don't you think?

So, it looks like our Qwest modem and everything will be here tomorrow by 5. I hope it works. It would be so nice to have working internet and be able to stream Netflix again. I'll keep you posted on that.


Stinky feels a lot better today. She said her Spanish teacher actually yelled at her for missing class those two days. I told her to tell her teacher that she was puking that whole time and then I asked Stinky if she wanted me to go beat up her Spanish teacher for her...Because I'm going to win the "Mom of the Year" award.

Toot Toot, Hey, Beep Beep

So, kids. Stinky got a bad stomach flu last night. Poor thing. I think she's feeling better now, but last night was pretty rough.

Today will just be a little photo expose' that some friends and I did when we were out at the bachelorette party. We saw this funky backdrop and decided it would be perfect for mocking senior pictures, but of course, we just cracked ourselves up by making them more and more raunchy. So, soon we were taking senior photos at reform school. Anyway, Here they are. Enjoy... Or not.

Ride Like the Wind to be Free Again

Archie putting the bike box to good use.

Okay kids. My internet was screwy all weekend...Again. I'm ending my internet relationship with Mediacom and hooking up with Qwest instead. I'll let you know how that works. They won't have it hooked up until the 7th. So, blogging might be even more sketchy this week. Who knew that was possible.

So, here is a quick little pictorial of my weekend. My bike came on Friday and The Guy was so good about putting it all together and having me sit on it and readjusting everything for me. How great is he? Then since we couldn't watch a Netflix streaming movie, because we had no internet, we saw Pirate Radio instead.

On Saturday, we did some things around the house, ran errands and then went on a 30 mile bike ride to a town called Windham. My bike was so much fun to ride and made me very, very happy.
We stopped at a little tavern in town and ate some greasy food and drank a beer before we rode the rest of the way home.

Then we were off getting ready for the bachelorette/bachelor parties we were going to. Stinky babysat for some friends who were also going to the parties.

I met the girls at a bar in Mount Vernon - where the bride was from and had a great time. Then we went to a bar in Solon - where the groom was from.

Then we came back to The Dublin and met up with the guys and had a dance party. Yea! it was fun, but I was exhausted and finally went home around midnight.

It was about 80 degrees here on Sunday and it felt great for our bike ride to Hills. it was crazy windy on the way there, when it was against us and way more fun on the way home. There's really nothing like screaming down a hill on old Highway 218 as fast as you can go. It makes up for almost standing still while we peddled against the wind on the way there.