Labor Day Camping

Camping faces

This past Labor Day weekend we camped in Colorado for the first time in the three years we have been here! We went to Jackson Reservoir near Orchard on the eastern plains. It was about a two hour drive and after while the mountains disappeared behind us leaving only farmland ahead.

We had a bit of a rough start trying to find a quick breakfast before we left the main high way. The signs on the side of the road indicated that a Chik-fil-a was nearby but it certainly wasn't and we were disappointed, but determined. Two miles out of our way we got our spicy chicken biscuits and we were on our way to Cabela's to pick up fishing licenses and nigh crawlers. Ok, so after a quick detour to Wal-mart to pick up a mallet we were finally on our way.

Walk to the marina

The campsite was easy enough to get to. There were plenty of RVs and boats around. We found ourselves on a nice little corner near a rambunctious Hispanic family and some rednecks who took horse shoes way too seriously. It was wonderful people watching. We set up camp and explored the area. We were only a few minutes from the marina and just a short walk to the coast of the lake. I was all sweaty and gross from setting up our tent that I had to get in the water to cool off. On the surface it was nice and warm like a bath but as soon as you sank any lower it was chilly!

Swim shore

We walked around more, tried to fish at dusk but didn't have any luck so we went back for dinner. We also tried to get a fire going but the "laundry lint" didn't really do the trick, plus is was stupid windy. The matches were blown out before we could light anything. Frustrated and sad we turned in and listened to the howling wind and rain batter our little tent for most of the night.

Thankfully we and our possessions survived the onslaught of nature but since we didn't sleep well (blame the lack of inflatable mattress) we didn't get to be the first ones on the water to try our hand at fishing again. This was also frustrating at first because the lines kept twisting in on themselves so there was a bit of a learning curve. Eventually we got everything situated and spent a few hours casting and reeling. It was really nice just to hear the water slap against the shore and occasionally see a large fish leap out of the water to taunt us. Then Joe napped some of the day away while I soaked up some sun and read my friend's new book on my Kindle. I think I've gotten more sun the past two weekends than I have all summer!

Serious bidness

We decided to fish one last time without any luck but it was just nice to out there for a while. Sunday evening was significantly less windy than the night before so we were able to cook in peace and even get a decent fire going! That night was spent watching the flames flicker and dance around until they died a few hour later. We made as many s'mores as we could before the fire went out and then laid down for the night.

 No major hitches were encountered on our adventure. We still love each other by the end of the weekend. I think this camping trip was a success and I can't wait to do it again!

Evening fishing

Hook on a Feeling

My new work friend, Groot.

Meet my new work friend, Groot. He's a bobble head so he dances a little but if he dances too much he will fall over. Also feel free to admire my Incredibles coffee mug.

As you can probably tell I'm a big fan of Marvel's newest installment in their massive movie universe, The Guardians of the Galaxy. It definitely surpassed any expectation I had of it. It's not that I had low expectations for the movie, it's just that I had no idea what I was getting into but the trailers had me sold. I knew it would at least be a fun, silly, action movie but after leaving the theater it was above all, memorable. The music was fitting, Chris Pratt was amazing, and the sets and CGI were incredible. It's been a long time since a movie has been able to really bring me into the environment. Like when you feel like you're there even though it's so alien and futuristic. Before the movie was over I was already imagining myself in the Milano, flying around colorful galaxies, listening to the Awesome Mix. Vol. 1. I had my doubts about Bradley Cooper as Rocket from what I had seen in the trailers. Again, I had no real expectations of a character I knew nothing about but the voice didn't seem to fit and he just seemed to be there for vulgar one-liners. I was proven wrong almost right away. Rocket's banter with the rest of the Guardians and his relationship with Groot really won me over. I'm ready to see the movie again and to own the DVD/Blu-ray, and excited for what GotG 2 will bring us.

"I need that guy's leg."

Work has been a super bummer as usual. Well, the only highlight of last week was that the power went out Wednesday and we didn't have to go in to work. But on the other hand they had to throw away all the food that was kept in the fridges or freezer, which is a bummer considering I thought I had breakfast and then didn't. I understand why they threw everything away, the power had been out since 1:30 am that morning but at the same time I wish I had gotten an email or something saying they tossed out my shit. To add more salt to the wound, they used our PTO for the day as well instead of comping us for the time the building was CLOSED. I think it's really shitty to make us use our PERSONAL time off for something we couldn't control. Our manager tried to make it up to us by allowing us to still accumulate the overtime we worked but that doesn't really cover a day off we lost. And the company also gave us a surprise free lunch on Thursday to apologize for the many inconveniences I guess. But the "fried chicken" was shit.

I feel like I've been super busy and looking over my calendar it seems I have! On top of the 10 hours of overtime I try to put in each week at work, birthdays, trivia, random nights out, and exercise sessions fill up most of my time. In between all of my IRL social obligations I also have my online ones. I'm part of Adrienne's Marvel Sigma group, which I thoroughly enjoy, but along with trying to keep the creative juices flowing, it's been hard to make time to sit down and hash out a few posts. I keep up with the group threads since there are several people involved and waiting but the more intimate threads have fallen by the way side and I kind of feel bad about it. But at the same time the person I'm RPing with is.... interesting to post with. Adrienne and I have already discussed this so I'll just leave it at that.

Also thanks to Ade, I've downloaded Marvel's MMO - Marvel Heroes. Of course I picked up Rocket as my first character and it's been a lot of fun so far. The game is super easy to drop in and out of and mostly self explanatory. There were a few things I learned by accident while others were clearly laid out in their FAQ and Help sections. I've done a few missions on my own so far but Ade just invited me into her super group (guild) so hopefully we'll get to on big raids soon! Another bonus is that this game is free to play! There are things you can purchase like characters, upgrades, and whatnot but you also have the option to save up the currency you accumulate in game to get those same characters and perks; it just takes longer but that's the trade off. I'm happy not paying real dollars to enjoy the game but I'm sure in the future I'll fork over some cash to support them.

I hope no one talks to me today.

New hair success! Makes my head look big though...

Right after cut

Grown out a little.

Be Daring

I've been growing my hair out for over two years under the impression that I would only cut it when I lost the weight I wanted to lose. That hasn't happened and I'm sick of my hair - all 20 inches of it. I decided today, fuck it, I'll get it cut. Who cares if I'll look more like my sister because she has the same hair style? If Emma Watson can do it, so can I. I was looking in the mirror and was feeling sentimental towards the long hair. I kept asking myself if I was going to miss it. Long, flowing, hair is pretty but I reminded myself how much it gets in the way and so it has to go. I'm a big fan of not worrying about my hair so a shorter cut will be ideal. Plus, I'll donate it all to Locks of Love.

This is the hair I have now.

This is the hair I want.

Disbelief

I so badly just want to scream.

Some mean old bitch I work with just shushed another grown ass coworker. We were outside having a picnic and she fucking SHUSHED her. Who does that??

Edit: Shitty day justified by woman in middle lane trying to turn left while we were in the left lane. Stupid, stupid cunt.

August 16th

Why does everything have to happen at the same time!?!?

Warrior Dash - New Belgium free tour tickets - Friend's kid's birthday

For fucks sake.

Spring Snow

Watching Mean Girls aka when Lindsey Lohan used to look normal.


I can't believe it's snowing in May! Go home Colorado, you're drunk.The white stuff came down all day Sunday (Mother's Day) and continued through today. Thank god the sun came out and remedied the slush that was collecting all over the roads. I did not wear the right shoes for this occasion. Today was the first day of work without my trusty coworker and lunch sidekick, Emily. She just had her baby last Thursday (May 8th)! Little Zoey Quinn McNail. Mother and babe will be resting at home for the next six weeks or so. On Saturday, I found out another friend of mine is having a little boy at the end of the summer.This news was a surprise for them but they have embraced their new adventure with enthusiasm. I'm happy for them.

I want to try a few new things. We have so many DVDs to the point that we can't remember if we already own a movie when we're out shopping (if anyone wants an copy of Role Models we've got an extra. A movie so nice we bought it twice!) So I told myself that when I'm home chillin' and I get a hankering to watch something I will turn to our ever inviting bookshelf turned DVD shelf and choose from there. At first the idea seemed a little redundant. I have these DVDs or Blu-rays because they are movies that I have seen and loved so much that I had to have them at my disposal. But Netflix and Hulu are slowly taking away the urgency of getting a movie as soon as it hits the shelves and at the same time almost proves more convenient than finding the movie I feel like watching, taking it out of the case, putting it in the PS3 or Xbox 360, setting the TV to the right channel, and then starting the movie.

Joe was supposed to create a catalog that we could access on our phones to more easily determine what we already owned but he has yet to finish that. But no worries, for now I'll just turn over each movie to indicate what I have and have yet to watch. I wonder how long it will take me to get through our whole collection...