Last night was the second time that Ken was unable to check in due to no service. Talk about LONG evenings. But he checked in this afternoon, and they are in Del Norte, CO, and still LOVING the trip. As much as I miss him, I am SO happy he has had this opportunity. It is truly a trip of a lifetime, something that he will talk about for the rest of his life. What an amazing gift!
On the home front - the painting of the bedroom is truly underway, the last coat of primer drying as we speak. The painting is a story in itself. But then, isn't most of my life?
I had most of the bedroom emptied a week ago. And then, the looming job of actually PAINTING was just too much. I found every excuse in the world. I had gardening to do. I had shopping to do. I had to clean the house. A friend needed me. All of this time, however, I was prepping. Bought the spackle. Bought the paint. Started taping.... all of this over a WEEK ago!
I had planned on painting the primer last night, but then got a call from a friend in need (SO thankful for that call!), so I headed out. By the time I got home, it was almost 10, and I wasn't about to start then. (Of course not!)
I decided last night, since all of the clocks were unplugged, to let myself sleep in today. The first day in MONTHS I've not set an alarm. And I slept until after 8 am! It was amazing. Totally refreshed, I really had no excuse to start painting.
We have a relatively small house. And only a single window air conditioning unit - in the living room -is used to cool the house. The bedroom, of course, is the furthest room away. Today we have a heat advisory - expected temps to reach upper nineties, with a heat index of over 100. Of course. So no opening the windows. All of this equates to one HOT room. I was literally sweating EVERYWHERE after getting the primer coat(s) done.
Yes, you read that right. COATS. As in multiple.
Let's go back to 1996. Only in our first home for 6 months, I decided the first room to decorate would be our bedroom. We were newly married, and of course had registered for (and received) our entire bedroom set - in burgundy magnolias with dark green accents.
DO NOT JUDGE ME.
It was 1996. I was in style. I swear.
So to match the BEAUTIFUL bedroom set, I thought burgundy sponge painting the bottom half of the wall would be amazing. And it was, in 1996.
Fast forward 17 years, and I hate that paint. Which is why when Ken decided to take a 3 week road trip, I decided that I had the perfect time to redo the bedroom. (Let's admit it - it was more than overdue after 17 years.)
Guess what? Burgundy is dark. REALLY dark. So of course, I couldn't get away with one coat of primer, I had to use two.
But I am victorious! The burgundy sponge painting is GONE. I have a clean slate for my new bedroom colors. And I cannot wait to get started. Four hours, and I'm in there adding chocolate and blue to make that burgundy sponge painting a distant memory.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
Update from the road - a phone call!
Tonight as we were rushing out the door to meet my husband's family for dinner, he called. What a WONDERFUL surprise. We chatted forever, and it was just what I needed. To hear the stories, the excitement in his voice.
It sounds like they are having the trip of a lifetime. I can't count how many times he said that we have to go back. To show me. They are in Colorado right now, stayed last night in Steamboat Springs, waking up to the sunrise over the river.. absolutely beautiful.
It sounds like they are having the trip of a lifetime. I can't count how many times he said that we have to go back. To show me. They are in Colorado right now, stayed last night in Steamboat Springs, waking up to the sunrise over the river.. absolutely beautiful.
Today's ride was very much off-road, up and down steep inclines, crossing rivers. Loose, dusty gravel and a thunderstorm. I cannot even fathom. But they made it - through a tough day - and he said they took lots of pictures to share. I cannot wait to see the pictures, and hear all of the stories.. I love that he takes time to send me pictures like this...
So they will continue on tomorrow - finishing up Colorado and heading into New Mexico. And the stories and memories will continue to be made.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Update from the road...tire issues!
Wednesday's ride wasn't so smooth, with Ken getting a flat! New tires - put on before they hit the trail - in Kalispell, and already a flat. They patched it with hopes of the patch holding. His last text was a BEAUTIFUL sunset from their campsite... Montana - Big Sky Country for sure.
This morning the patch was not holding, so they had to make a side trip to Helena to get it fixed. After that they were able to ride from Lincoln to Bozeman. So not as many miles as hoped today, but these kind of issues are to be expected.
So the boys stopped early tonight - at a hotel - so they can do laundry, etc. Hopefully tomorrow's ride will be smoother. They are still loving the sights. Beautiful country.
On the home front? William is now gone, leaving me to try to find our friendly bat all by myself. I've done some "digging" around in the basement, trying to get him to come out, but nothing yet. It was a beautiful day, so I spent some time on the yard today. Will get back down in the store room after dinner. I asked William to grab a tennis racket and fishing net before he left. He grabbed the musky net... (Any of you know how big those are???) Too funny. May need to take some goofy pix.. there is definitely an entire blog in the future with this. Oh, the joys.
This morning the patch was not holding, so they had to make a side trip to Helena to get it fixed. After that they were able to ride from Lincoln to Bozeman. So not as many miles as hoped today, but these kind of issues are to be expected.
So the boys stopped early tonight - at a hotel - so they can do laundry, etc. Hopefully tomorrow's ride will be smoother. They are still loving the sights. Beautiful country.
On the home front? William is now gone, leaving me to try to find our friendly bat all by myself. I've done some "digging" around in the basement, trying to get him to come out, but nothing yet. It was a beautiful day, so I spent some time on the yard today. Will get back down in the store room after dinner. I asked William to grab a tennis racket and fishing net before he left. He grabbed the musky net... (Any of you know how big those are???) Too funny. May need to take some goofy pix.. there is definitely an entire blog in the future with this. Oh, the joys.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
mechanic, accountant, exterminator.. OH MY! And an update from the road...
Yesterday was hard for me. Because the guys finally hit the off-road trail, there was no contact. It was a long day waiting for the text that they had arrived somewhere to camp. But at 11:30 pm they had arrived, set up camp, enjoyed dinner, and had a chance to check in. They rode 122 miles on the trail yesterday - Ken enjoyed it very much!
Life on the home front is.... shall we say, ironic.
Ken has been gone for 6 days. In those six days, I have added the following skills to my resume.
The garden was the first shock. I have to work it daily - to stay ahead - and having missed two days, I am paying for it. What a workout. Good for the soul! What I wouldn't give to have it tilled...
I'm dealing with the bills - knowing which to pay online, which snail mail, and have them all on the calendar.
If my friend cannot fix the lawn mower tomorrow, I will head to Menards to buy the old fashioned non-electric kind, which I've wanted to get anyway, so I can mow the lawn. It will be a heckuva workout to boot.
In beginning my renovation of the bedroom, I ended up with two new skills. Demolition - taking down the chair rail - is probably my favorite, but spackler sounds pretty cool. I will in the next week be adding painter as well, but I'm not there yet.
But the bat. Seriously? We've lived in this house since 1995 and have never had a bat. I hate bats. Oh, the stories from our old farm house. Ken loves to tell about my horror stories with the bats out there. So the fact that the first time he leaves for an extended period of time, WE GET A BAT. ugh. ironic.
Like I said. We shut the basement door. I'll deal with THAT job tomorrow.
Life on the home front is.... shall we say, ironic.
Ken has been gone for 6 days. In those six days, I have added the following skills to my resume.
- dirt turner (while I do a lot of the gardening, I don't use the tiller, can't, and so I am tilling the entire country garden the old way - with a crazy tool I inherited from my uncle)
- accountant (taking over all the bill paying)
- small engine diagnostic (the lawn mower started smoking, and I knew enough to call a friend's husband for help)
- demolition (removed all the chair rail in the bedroom. felt good to tear something apart, I won't lie)
- spackler (yep - you read that right. spackling the nail holes as I prep the bedroom walls)
- exterminator (William discovered a bat in the basement tonight. We shut the door. I'll deal with that tomorrow)
The garden was the first shock. I have to work it daily - to stay ahead - and having missed two days, I am paying for it. What a workout. Good for the soul! What I wouldn't give to have it tilled...
I'm dealing with the bills - knowing which to pay online, which snail mail, and have them all on the calendar.
If my friend cannot fix the lawn mower tomorrow, I will head to Menards to buy the old fashioned non-electric kind, which I've wanted to get anyway, so I can mow the lawn. It will be a heckuva workout to boot.
In beginning my renovation of the bedroom, I ended up with two new skills. Demolition - taking down the chair rail - is probably my favorite, but spackler sounds pretty cool. I will in the next week be adding painter as well, but I'm not there yet.
But the bat. Seriously? We've lived in this house since 1995 and have never had a bat. I hate bats. Oh, the stories from our old farm house. Ken loves to tell about my horror stories with the bats out there. So the fact that the first time he leaves for an extended period of time, WE GET A BAT. ugh. ironic.
Like I said. We shut the basement door. I'll deal with THAT job tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
emotions on the homefront
So it is the end of day 5. I believe this is the longest that Ken and I have ever been apart. Weird, considering how much I travel to see friends, but it's usually a long weekend. Five days being the most. And it's more than just five days, it's the fact that there are still 16 days to GO.
I am trying to stay busy. Working on prepping the bedroom for painting, defrosting the freezer, working the garden, etc. But there is still the looming piece missing. He's never been gone for more than a couple of days. I'm starting to notice. I have so much more to do, the yard work, the bills, etc. Things that he normally handles.
The first four days of the trip, they stopped often - so he checked in. This morning they left for the trail head, now riding off-road. He hasn't checked in since 10. I know there will be times he can't get messages out. I know there will be times that they just don't stop. But the instant loss of contact has been maddening. It is why I have to keep busy. I pray that he has a chance to let me know how far they got. That they are ok.
I miss him like crazy. I miss that every day connection of talking about our days. Of making plans together. Since leaving my full time job, I've been able to spend SO much more time with him, and I have gotten spoiled.
A friend recently lost her husband - age 34. I now can imagine what she is going through. But my time apart, without him, is finite. It will be over in 16 more days. He will be home. She doesn't have that. Keeping her in my heart makes my days go easier.
Still hoping for that text. Just a few words - so I know all is well. Then back to keeping busy, until the next text. I will live from text to text. Holding my breath for the next word.
I am trying to stay busy. Working on prepping the bedroom for painting, defrosting the freezer, working the garden, etc. But there is still the looming piece missing. He's never been gone for more than a couple of days. I'm starting to notice. I have so much more to do, the yard work, the bills, etc. Things that he normally handles.
The first four days of the trip, they stopped often - so he checked in. This morning they left for the trail head, now riding off-road. He hasn't checked in since 10. I know there will be times he can't get messages out. I know there will be times that they just don't stop. But the instant loss of contact has been maddening. It is why I have to keep busy. I pray that he has a chance to let me know how far they got. That they are ok.
I miss him like crazy. I miss that every day connection of talking about our days. Of making plans together. Since leaving my full time job, I've been able to spend SO much more time with him, and I have gotten spoiled.
A friend recently lost her husband - age 34. I now can imagine what she is going through. But my time apart, without him, is finite. It will be over in 16 more days. He will be home. She doesn't have that. Keeping her in my heart makes my days go easier.
Still hoping for that text. Just a few words - so I know all is well. Then back to keeping busy, until the next text. I will live from text to text. Holding my breath for the next word.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Notes from the road....days 3 and 4
Day 3 they traveled from Ray, ND to Cut Rock, MT. It was a LONG day of riding, which ended up making for some sore riders.
Day 4 started out wet. Cut Rock had some pretty strong thunderstorms go through. Waiting out the storms caused them to miss the appointment at the Kalispell, MT Harley Dealer to get Ken's off-road tires mounted. After re-scheduling for Tuesday, they spent the day riding around Glacier National Park, taking the Going to the Sun Road. In Ken's words, "We have to go back".
We've been to Glacier, but were unable to get to the west side due to snow. So we missed the sun road. Per Ken, it's a must see. They spent 8 hours driving around the park, and have settled into a hotel in Kalispell. Tomorrow morning they will get tires, and then start the trek down the off-road trails.
Tonight they are enjoying the last night before starting that next leg.
We are doing well here at home - keeping the gutters cleaned out, the garden weeded, and life running as it needs to run.
Day 4 started out wet. Cut Rock had some pretty strong thunderstorms go through. Waiting out the storms caused them to miss the appointment at the Kalispell, MT Harley Dealer to get Ken's off-road tires mounted. After re-scheduling for Tuesday, they spent the day riding around Glacier National Park, taking the Going to the Sun Road. In Ken's words, "We have to go back".
We've been to Glacier, but were unable to get to the west side due to snow. So we missed the sun road. Per Ken, it's a must see. They spent 8 hours driving around the park, and have settled into a hotel in Kalispell. Tomorrow morning they will get tires, and then start the trek down the off-road trails.
Tonight they are enjoying the last night before starting that next leg.
We are doing well here at home - keeping the gutters cleaned out, the garden weeded, and life running as it needs to run.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Wild Hog Adventure...end of days 1 and 2
The boys have checked in off and on throughout the last two days of traveling.
Day 1 was full of adventure! They had wanted to leave by 8am, and were out of the driveway at 7:57! It was a great start to the trip. Many hugs and kisses before they left me teary eyed. So excited for them, but can't lie - I will miss him dearly. The first stop was Medford, WI - for breakfast and topping off with fuel. Then onto Ashland for a new headlight for my hubby's bike. (Not sure if that was planned - or something happened. They are only checking in with texts, so we don't get a lot of detail.)
The next check-in was around dinner time - when they were in Grand Rapids, MN having a Friday night fish fry (a WI/MN tradition) and a Grainbelt beer. (When in Minnesota, do as the Minnesotans do....) At that point, the trip was going really well, and the hubby gave it two thumbs up.
Next check in was not so cheery. "made it 2 bagley and daves bike shifter broke off. Motels r ful and he went to get it welded”. mmm. Through more texts (including one to Dave's wife), I found out that not only did his shifter break off, but Ken had to push him to get him moving (in order to get to a place to get it fixed. And Dave also blew the two main fuses in his bike, which also got fixed. Ken texted me off and on for quite awhile, as he sat on a park bench in Bagley, waiting for Dave. At that point they had not found a place to stay, so I got them a hotel in Grand Forks, ND - where they reached, and checked in somewhere around midnight. They relaxed with the gift from friend Keith (which gave them self-induced headaches to start day two.)
Day 2 - today - was much less eventful (a good thing!) with text pictures Devil's lake, Rugby, ND (the geographical center of North America), and Minot. They were in Ray, ND, the destination for the day, early - to spend the night at a friend's home, and relax, before heading onto Montana tomorrow to start the ride down the Continental Divide. There was some rain on the radar, but Ken never mentioned that it was difficult for them, so I'm not sure if they hit it at all.
I love hearing the adventures - and am only getting short texts. Could take a week just to hear all about it when they get home.
Day 1 was full of adventure! They had wanted to leave by 8am, and were out of the driveway at 7:57! It was a great start to the trip. Many hugs and kisses before they left me teary eyed. So excited for them, but can't lie - I will miss him dearly. The first stop was Medford, WI - for breakfast and topping off with fuel. Then onto Ashland for a new headlight for my hubby's bike. (Not sure if that was planned - or something happened. They are only checking in with texts, so we don't get a lot of detail.)
The next check-in was around dinner time - when they were in Grand Rapids, MN having a Friday night fish fry (a WI/MN tradition) and a Grainbelt beer. (When in Minnesota, do as the Minnesotans do....) At that point, the trip was going really well, and the hubby gave it two thumbs up.
Next check in was not so cheery. "made it 2 bagley and daves bike shifter broke off. Motels r ful and he went to get it welded”. mmm. Through more texts (including one to Dave's wife), I found out that not only did his shifter break off, but Ken had to push him to get him moving (in order to get to a place to get it fixed. And Dave also blew the two main fuses in his bike, which also got fixed. Ken texted me off and on for quite awhile, as he sat on a park bench in Bagley, waiting for Dave. At that point they had not found a place to stay, so I got them a hotel in Grand Forks, ND - where they reached, and checked in somewhere around midnight. They relaxed with the gift from friend Keith (which gave them self-induced headaches to start day two.)
Day 2 - today - was much less eventful (a good thing!) with text pictures Devil's lake, Rugby, ND (the geographical center of North America), and Minot. They were in Ray, ND, the destination for the day, early - to spend the night at a friend's home, and relax, before heading onto Montana tomorrow to start the ride down the Continental Divide. There was some rain on the radar, but Ken never mentioned that it was difficult for them, so I'm not sure if they hit it at all.
I love hearing the adventures - and am only getting short texts. Could take a week just to hear all about it when they get home.
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