We Don't Tailgate...We Boulevard!

 Back in Texas - this time on the east side of town - DALLAS! We arrived in town about midnight on Thursday night, and went to visit Derek, who was just putting the pork shoulder in the smoker for the BBQ the next day - a chip off the old block! He and his roommates had decided to purchase a smoker for their pre-game tailgates. It was quite impressive when we showed up at midnight and they had already had the pork seasoned/marinated and had specific instructions posted "WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER TOUCHING PORK!"....I was proud, and at that moment knew that Derek had paid attention at home!

We returned to Derek's house (he lives in a great house right on/off campus) at noon time to prepare a few favorite appetizers for the party. We literally could smell our way to his house - is was awesome! They had probably 50+ people show up to the BBQ (friends and families) and it was absolutely delicious - I must say that Derek & Barry could be in a smoke off and I couldn't tell you who would win. They cooked over 25 pounds of pork, and had nothing leftover!


Smokin' hot guys!!!

 

Tailgate in Derek's backyard



Derek & his roommates Dan & Tyler




















After the BBQ at Derek's it was off to the Boulevard for the official Tailgate. For those of you who have not been to SMU for a home game - they don't tailgate...they Boulevard! It is basically just tailgating on steroids! There are huge tents, many catered by local restaurants. Beer, wine, champagne, open bars, live bands....and they wonder why they can't get everyone into the game for kick-off! Derek & his friends had a tent right at the fountain at Dallas Hall. We were able to connect with some friends from KC and of course Ashley and her TCU friends who made the trip from Fort Worth for "The Battle of the Iron Skillet'"



A proud MOM on the boulevard! 


 

Ashley & her TCU Roommate (Erin) and Chi O
pledge sister Justine (BVW) @ SMU


 

BVW Grads - Justine (TCU), Alyssa (SMU), Ashley (TCU)




    

Ashley & her "Big Brothers"


After all of the tailgating it was time to head into Ford Stadium for the "Battle of the Iron Skillet." The game as televised on ESPN, so hopefully many of you watched - it was a great game. SMU came out strong and made it a great game, but the Horned Frogs came out on top!

Ashley stayed with us in Dallas for the night and accompanied me on a shopping trip to Nordstrom & Saks 5th Avenue on Saturday, while the guys watched football. I truly only went to Nordstrom to prevent them from having to make the call to be sure that all was ok since I had not charged there in a month! Being in the Dallas area made me realize that I am really going to miss shopping!

One last note on Derek - he has accepted a job with Citibank. He will be working in their Energy division (the same division he did his internship in this summer). He  will be starting in their London Office in July 2011 (unless there is an issue with the work visa situation, which is being negotiated at this time...if they cannot get him a visa, he will start in their New York office - energy division). We are so excited and proud - all of his hard work has definitely paid off!

We had a great time in Dallas - Derek was a great host! It was also lots of fun to have Ashley & her friends come over to SMU. Saying good-bye was not too bad again, as both Derek & Ashley will be coming "home" to Jackson Hole for their Fall Break next weekend.

Blogging from a Different Level

Well, as you all know we are not actually in Cabo anymore, but when the inspiration for this blog was born, we were at sea level (get it...a different level - ha! Maybe you had to be at the swim up bar with us to think this was funny)!  A BIG change from an altitude of 6200 feet. We ventured off to Cabo to celebrate our 25th anniversary between the two kids' family weekends.

Upon arrival at the RIU Cabo San Lucas we were greeted with Margaritas - oh life is good! The hotel was absolutely gorgeous and we were given a beautiful room with an ocean view (and for those of you who travelled to Jamaica with us - we also had light fixtures, pillow cases, and wash cloths). We headed to the pool to relax and I went to look out at the beach, and for a moment I thought that I was back home in Jackson Hole - HORSES?? And guess what - they DON'T pick up after them! Barry & I went on a walk on the beach and can attest to this. Also, Cabo is not the place to walk on the beach - it kind of feels like walking on glass shards; and the ocean is about an 8 foot drop off from the beach. Needless to say, that was our only journey out to the beach for our time in Cabo (and nobody else was on the beach either). The weather turned to less than pleasant overnight and we awoke to basically a tropical storm. We were not going to let a "little" rain/wind get in our way of relaxation though, so we found the gym and then headed to the bar! The only problem was that the open air bar was being pelted by rain and gale force winds, and after a few broken bar glasses they changed over to plastic for all of the guests. No problem for us though - relaxing overlooking the beach with a cocktail waitress - life was still good!


Not a bad view from the gym, just a bit humid with the storm and being that it was open air...air conditioning please!


 We really did enjoy our mini vacation/celebration for our Anniversary. All went well, with the exception of returning to our room the day of the storm, only to find our roof leaking - UGH! So after spending almost 3 hours trying to find a room that did not have

1. A leaky roof
2. Another guest in it (sound familiar Jamaica friends?)
3. Electricity at worked (why is this important they wanted to know)
4. Somewhat of a view

We were able to relax & enjoy. The rest of the week was beautiful. We enjoyed fabulous food (too much) and drinks (never too much)! Just still can't believe that it as been 25 years - where has the time gone...thanks to all of you who have made it fun/memorable!  Looking forward to MANY MORE!


The swim up bar (early in the morning - before we hit it!)

  A few pics from the hotel! 

 

Next stop Dallas/SMU!

Welcome to the Fort!

We were so excited to visit Ashley for family weekend @ TCU. She is loving college life and everything that comes with it...okay maybe not all the studying! We arrived on Friday and caught up with Ashley after she had finished two tests - she was relieved.  We were so proud of her, she felt like she had done great on both tests, after pulling an "almost all nighter" and studying until 4:00 a.m. (what we found out later was the rest of the story...she had gone out until 2:00 a.m. and THEN started studying....oh to be young again)!

Friday night her sorority (Chi Omega) hosted a dinner/auction/dance with Kappa Sigma (Barry's fraternity) to benefit the Make a Wish Foundation. It was held at an awesome venue in the stockyards - it's so amazing how Fort Worth is so country, yet very cosmopolitan at the same time.  We of course turned in after the party - who knows how long the kids stayed out (and I don't want to know!).

Saturday was game day, and the hottest day of the year I swear - I don't think that it helped that we had been living for the last 2 weeks in a humidity-free, moderate climate. To put it mildly, I was "glowing" all day! TCU has quite a football team - it was a fun game. Did I mention that it was hot though!

I figured that the best way to share our time in Fort Worth, and a glimpse of Ashley's life @ TCU would be to include some pictures....enjoy!



A proud Mom & Dad at the pre-game Chi Omega luncheon @ Joe T. Garcia's Mexican Restaurant. If you are ever in Fort Worth, this is a MUST...it is amazingly good & a really cool outdoor setting. Quite interesting to note - they have no menu, only 2 items available: enchilada dinner or fajita dinner. I like that you don't have to ponder too much!



Tailgate time - Barry & I could really go back to college tomorrow...it all came back to us very easily!



Ashley & a Chi O pledge sister. By the way, boots are a necessity @ TCU!!



HOOT! HOOT! Ashley (and her high school friend Justine) chose wisely and are Chi Omega's (my sorority too - I am so excited!). They have 53 girls in their pledge class...lots of new friends, new activities/parties, and lots of new study buddies too - there are 8 other Chi O pledges majoring in nursing!



 

Post game victory celebration @ Frog Fountain on campus!



Ashley's new Chi Omega "big sister" Kathy and her "twin" Annabelle

  



The first TCU game was @ Dallas Stadium - talk about doing things "Big" in Texas!

 

GO FROGS!



Home Sweet Dorm!


Our weekend wound down with a trip  to Cavendars to buy Ashley another pair of cowboy boots (she "needed" tall ones too) - needless to say the place was packed with every other TCU Freshman and their parents! It truly was a right of passage - she has hit the big time and is now formally a TCU freshman (and Barry's wallet is a bit slimmer)!
We had a GREAT weekend and are so proud of Ashley! "Good bye" was not too difficult since we knew that we would be seeing her the following weekend @ SMU for their parent's weekend and the TCU/SMU "Battle for the Iron Skillet!"

We were on our way south to celebrate our 25th Anniversary Cabo Wabo Style!





Welcome (back) Home

Sorry that I did not blog while on our 10-day hiatus from Jackson Hole...thought about it, but then thought about spending more time with kids, spending more time at the swim up bar and spending more time relaxing! And, I knew that I would come home refreshed and once again enlightened and ready to keep on blogging.

Today is just really going to be a "we're home" entry...look for the following soon:

• Welcome to the Fort
• Blogging from a Different Level
• We Don't Tailgate...We Boulevard

We spent the last 10 days away from Jackson Hole having a great time. Although I must admit that it was hard to pack to leave for 10 days after finally getting everything organized and livable here. Our first stop was to visit Ashley @ TCU for Family Weekend - we had a blast - more details later. Then it was off to Cabo San Lucas to celebrate our 25th Anniversary...hard to believe that we are already celebrating 25 - looking forward to celebrating forever together. Then it was back to the "Big D" to enjoy family weekend @ SMU with Derek. Again, pictures and stories from our adventures will follow in the next few days.

We arrived "home" to Jackson Hole last night to sunny skies and 80 degrees. Maybe it really doesn't snow here like they keep saying! The forecast for the next 10 days is sunny and highs in the 70's-80's, no joke. They say that it is very unseasonable, I say it is WONDERFUL! I think that God has this little respite of nice weather planned for me so that I will unpack from our vacation and stay here!  I told all of you that you should have planned a visit out here...the Inn still has availability.

I have spent the morning unpacking (something that I am quite familiar with at this point of my life) and doing laundry - yes it does feel like home! I must admit that it did feel nice to come home last night, instead of to another hotel. It was kind of funny when we came in the house though and neither of us could find a light switch.

I went on a run and just returned (after taking these pictures)....I still continue to laugh at the things that I come across living in the Wild West - it is truly different than anywhere I have ever experienced. First a bit of history...we live in a community called Melody Ranch. It is a beautiful development that is actually part of a working ranch (they were just smart and built a few homes on their ranch), so we have lots of green space, horses etc.





Above are views from the neighborhood. Here is a picture of the actual Ranch:

What caught me by surprise today was that we also actually have an International Airfield IN our neighborhood...so no excuses for not coming to visit. You can either fly into Jackson Hole Airport (about 15 minutes from our home) 

Jackson Hole Airport - beautiful!

OR you can fly into our neighborhood "international airfield" (which is only 3 blocks from our home):

I think that you may have to have your own plane to fly into our neighborhood, but you can arrive from London I guess (which will be convenient for Derek when he comes home to visit - more on his new job later)!

So that is your look into Jackson Hole for now. I am off to my (not) favorite store - K Mart to grab a few things so that we can hang pictures tonight. I know that you must be jealous (of both hanging pictures and of my shopping)!

Until later...Adios Pardner (can you tell I have been in Mexico & Texas)

PS - We did hear from our lovely moving company (remember - DO NOT EVER USE NORTH AMERICAN) and in their email they said that they picked up the rest of our stuff last Thursday and that it "should" arrive "sometime" this week. How comforting - love the level of concern and adequacy of information.  Oh well, at this point "whenever" would be a great time to get our stuff! 

Top Ten List

I just returned from what started out as a nice jog and ended up being a full out sprint. No, I wasn't being chased by a bear or moose...just rapidly changing weather...here's today's story:

I spent the morning unpacking boxes in the garage since it was so warm and beautiful outside. Boxes and boxes of Derek & Ashley's schoolwork and artwork (Pre-school through grade 12). I think that I am going to start sending each person in my address book a piece of artwork that Derek or Ashley created between the ages of 2 and 18. Think of it as a thoughtful way of letting you know that I am thinking of you (and also a way for me not to have to actually throw them away or store them). Note to younger parents: don't save stuff your children created for more than a week, hanging on the refrigerator or displayed on the table, they become impossible to part with after that amount of time. The emotional side of unpacking became too much, I figured it was time to reward myself with a run.

I started through the neighborhood and then headed east (away from the big mountain range - Tetons) towards the other mountains (foothills maybe??). I was enjoying the beautiful scenery and of course spending time reflecting on all the changes we have experienced over the past few weeks. I noticed that it was getting a bit cooler, good thing that I had my long-sleeved running shirt on - always prepared these days! Seemed to be getting a bit windy too, and not quite as sunny. Deep in reflection though, and reminiscing about life in Kansas. I checked my watch and realized that I had been running longer than I had anticipated and better turn around so that I wold have enough "steam" to make the loop back home. When I turned around to head back home, with the beautiful backdrop of the Tetons, I realized that a huge storm had come over the mountain range. It was dark, cold, windy, and there were huge bolts of sky to ground lightening striking about every 15-30 seconds. I am not a weather forecaster, but this was a big storm...and where did it come from? Weather in the mountains really can change within minutes. I did not think that it would be prudent to jog home, so I picked up speed and did the last couple of miles at a much faster clip (probably could have won Old Bill's 5K on Saturday at this pace). The storm was actually beautiful to watch as it  moved in over the mountain range, just wish that I had been inside, with a glass of wine, watching instead of trying to run home before it got here. Luckily I made it home safe, dry and exhausted! I am not sure if it is the altitude or just the fact that my workout routine has fizzled, but I always feel out of shape here.  So, now I sit here in the safety of my home blogging, and guess what - the sun is shining. Yeah, real nice trick good ole mother nature played on me!

As I said earlier, while running I thought of my blog theme for today:

TOP 10 LIST OF THINGS I MISS FROM KANSAS

1. Family and friends - hope that you all are planning to visit soon - I miss you more than you can imagine. Fly, drive, rent an RV....just visit!
2. Our Home - Not just the fact that everything had a place there (although I am realizing I had way too much "stuff"), but the familiarity of it all. Knowing where the light switches were, being able to navigate in the dark, and knowing that friends were just down the street. Also knowing that we could pick up the phone and call a few friends and it could be a party in an hour! Thankfully I have a beautiful painting of our home as a reminder - thank you!
3. Newspaper delivered to the house - the JH News is FREE, but you have to go to town to get it, no home delivery. The paper is also only available Mon-Sat - no Sunday paper (or sale fliers). I said NEVER would I own a Kindle, but I may be eating my words...I miss my morning paper with my coffee.
4. Body Pump Classes @ JCC - I have not joined a gym here yet. Haven't even had time to check them out. Although we have gotten in some good hikes/runs, the only muscle soreness I have is from my tumble on the mountain trail the other day! No comments if my muffin top is bigger when I see you next! 
5. Mailbox - No home mail delivery here either. Barry & I have to coordinate each day who will get the paper and who will get the mail. No running into friends at the mailbox:(
6. KC BBQ - I tried some BBQ at a restaurant here - NOT good. We had it so good in KC...Oklahoma Joe's, Jack Stack, Haywards. I guess that I will have to rely on "Bronco Barry" for BBQ. Good thing I bought him that smoker for Father's Day! Needless to say he has not had 12 hours free to smoke some pulled pork yet, but we are hoping to fire up the smoker when the kids come home in October (if it isn't under 10 feet of snow).
7. BVW Football - I am not sure if empty nesters attend High School Football games, but for some reason I can't imagine that Barry &  I would not have been there to root on the Jags! If nothing else sports/entertainment for Barry; social opportunity for Michele!
8. Target - Our one and only store, Kmart, does not hold a candle to Target!
9. Nordstrom - Enough said. No new outfit for me for TCU family weekend:(
10. Family & Friends - I can't say it enough, so you make the list twice. You all are in my thoughts and prayers everyday.

So  there you have it. Another day in the life of Michele in Wyoming. Off to unpack/organize some more. I am happy to report that all boxes inside are unpacked. Need to hang pictures and finish the garage "project"...there is an end in sight!

Faceplant!

Another glorious day in JH - sunny, no clouds, snow melting on mountains (it was 79 degrees yesterday - Indian summer I guess)...a perfect day to do some more unpacking! Did I mention yet that we have WAY TOO MUCH "STUFF?" Yikes, this is getting ridiculous. I guess we should have thought about the size difference in houses - why bring all the stuff from 41/2 bathrooms when you only have 2 and stuff from 3 offices/desks when you only have one - anyone need some towels, a stapler, pens/pencils/highlighters or tape dispenser? I think that we could furnish JH elementary school with supplies!

We spent the day yesterday getting more stuff organized/put away. We got all of our board games stashed for easy access when we are snowed in - hope that some of you will visit in the winter. Lots to enjoy outside & inside too! I may even have time to brush up on my Trivial Pursuit game skills (yes Jim, I may even know the answer to a question if I start studying the cards now)!

We had enough unpacking by noon and decided to head out on our hike. Before leaving we packed our handy dandy new backpacks (actually camelbacks, for those of you familiar with the "real stuff" that "real hikers" use...which you will see we are only trying to be at this point)! I had come across our bandannas and disposable ponchos (from Derek's days as an Indian Guide, and Ashley's as a Brownie - they are probably child size and disintegrated inside) while unpacking, so I figured that we would start to be responsible hikers and "be prepared." I also decided that I would try out my new water system that is built into my backpack. I filled the reservoir with 2 liters of purified, chilled water, packed nutritious lunches, and we were off (needless to say Barry did not find it necessary to use his water system - he brought bottled water....lazy).

We hiked a beautiful trail (about 4.7 miles) off the Cache Creek Trailhead called Hagen Loop and Putt Putt. This area is popular with mountain bikers and horseback riders, so we had to get used to sharing the trail with horse poop and bikers who had an uncanny ability to go up and down steep, rocky, narrow inclines with great ease (we were huffing it just to walk up at times). The trail consisted of varying terrain and scenery: some wide trails; some very narrow trails on the mountainside; beautiful, densely wooded forest with a creek, and majestic mountain views.

Another thing that was sprinkled all through the trail was this:

One very important thing that I learned yesterday was that if you want to enjoy the scenery, you should STOP first! Yes, I was hiking and enjoying the scenery at the same time and the picture above was not in my sightline....FACEPLANT! Oh it was not a pretty, or a fun event. I was in front of Barry, and according to him it was not graceful either (guess all those years of ballet did not pay off). So, there I was lying face first in the dirt and rocks - thank goodness it was in a wider path area...since we had not packed any ropes/stakes for recovering a man overboard...or whatever the term would be for one who falls off the side of a mountain while hiking. The good news is that I did not fall flat on my face, therefore protecting my nose from another break and the potential start of another Nelson Nose Breaking streak (for those of you not familiar; Derek, Ashley, and I all broke our noses within a 9 month span a few years back)! I also somehow did not lose my front teeth (talk about looking like the Clampett's) - but I took a nice chunk out of my lip protecting them. The best news is that I had thrown the bandannas in the backpack - great for removing dirt particles and blood and to apply pressure to keep my cheek from swelling so that I could see out of both eyes while hiking (we of course were about halfway in at the time of "event"). The rest of the hike consisted of Barry announcing every rock, branch, hole etc. and me stopping every few hundred yards to enjoy the scenery! I am sure that all who passed us along the way thought that I was just very hot due to the temps in the 70's and therefore had a bandana pressed to my face. Barry thought it would be a good idea to include a picture - I agreed; if you are willing to follow this blog it needs to be full disclosure (I know it is not a pretty picture - smiling was a bit painful)!

So hopefully I will heal beautifully in the next few days before we go to TCU for family weekend and I get to meet all of Ashley's new friends! Oh, and the beach in Cabo the following week will be great too with my bruised/scabbed knees and shoulder. I am thinking that if I am one big disgusting scab I will have to fabricate a better story:

1. Hiking and came across bear - he got in one swipe before I could get to my bear repellent
2. Mountain biking down Cache Creek and hit a rock slide
3. Rappelling the Grand (Teton) and lost footing for a few hundred feet
4. Barry got frustrated that I kept putting all of his stuff in the bottom drawers, and he has to bend over too much

So much for the minor bump in the road (literally) - all in all it was a great day. As we were enjoying the rest of the hike I once again had time to ponder many things (guess that I will have a lot of reflection time in my new life):

1. Why do you have to pick up after your dog, but not after your horse?
2. Why do they have ski patrol and not hike patrol?
3. Why didn't I figure out how to use my camelback hydration system BEFORE we left. I am sure that those of you who have them are laughing, it is probably simple to the "experienced," but I never did figure it out. Luckily Barry shared some of his bottled water!
4. Carrying 2 liters of water on your back for 4.7 miles adds to your cardio workout (and to the pain in your shoulder after getting dirt burn on it)
5. Glad that I did not pack bear spray today, since I realized that whatever I pack is what we need - not yet ready to encounter a bear!
6. I will pack advil in my backpack next time

Needless to say, by the time we completed our hike the art festival and wine tasting were winding down. Okay, even if they weren't, don't think that I looked the part to attend! We stopped by the store to grab some steaks for dinner and first aid stuff for me. Another question: why is Mederma (scar healing cream) more expensive than 2 steaks? We came home and tackled the garage - anyone need Christmas decorations....we have them in abundance.

Enjoyed a wonderful dinner and some good wine (that did make my injury feel better): Terlato - Syrah (2005), we would highly suggest it! Hope that today is not the day that the neighbors decide to come by for a visit. The face is not looking too good (why is the next day always worse).

I will leave you with another "sign" that we are definitely residing in Wyoming - saw this one yesterday:

Have a great week and remember to take time to STOP to smell the roses!

Eat, Run, Play....and unpack!

I don't know how God labored for 6 days straight before resting when he created our beautiful world. I am having a hard time staying focused for 3 days straight in the "creation" of or new home. I think that I can partly blame God, for He is the one that made the beautiful mountains and scenery that are distracting us - thank you!

Saturday was the "Old Bill's Fun Run" in town - a 5K. The funny thing is that it did not start until 10:00 a.m., time to let the frost dissipate! It started in the town square with a memorial to 9/11, followed by the run that weaved through downtown neighborhoods and then along the Elk Refuge - the Grand Tetons as the back drop. We did not win, but posted a respectable time, considering that we have only been unpacking for cardio lately!  The run attracted over three thousand participants - amazing considering there are not quite 10,000 residents. That explains the activity level of the residents...they even had a 102 year old finisher (ok, I will let on - she was being pushed in a wheelchair, but I hope that someone will push me on a 5K if I make it to 102).

After our run they had free breakfast burritos for all - now that is small town! And did I mention that the race was FREE...really small town. Included a shirt and food - it doesn't get better than that! We spent time at the Town Farmer's Market acquiring some of the vendors goods for us to enjoy this week. They also had all kinds of town information tables set up - so we got acquainted with some of the activities/services that we will be able to keep ourselves busy with as new residents - the community center - exercise/basketball, pet adoption, and Pathways - a hiking biking trail system to name a few. I must admit that it was weird to not be stopping by the youth soccer/football tables or any of the other kid centered activities - the empty nest is a very different feeling!

I am still amazed at the strange sights that we see here - it is really the "wild" west on some accounts!

Check out the "hat" his guy had on!

Guess that we need to get some accessories for our cars!

After a fun afternoon in town, it was back to the ranch to get more unpacked! I had to chuckle when Barry told someone that we were 80% unpacked...what? Guess that he hasn't looked in the garage lately! And to think that we have MORE stuff arriving ("sometime" they say).

After a long day of work and play Barry tried out his new grill - he hasn't lost his touch! We enjoyed a beautiful evening on the patio overlooking the snow capped mountains...I think that we will be able to get used to this life! There are a few necessities that we are finding important:

Well, that is the latest. Barry has been unpacking while I have been blogging this morning and for some reason he feels he needs company! So off to unpack a few more boxes while we wait for it to warm up a bit. It is a beautiful sunny day, so we are planning a hike on Cache Creek today. The art festival is set outside on town square this afternoon too, a great "after hike" destination. To be followed by the wine tasting that the chamber of commerce is hosting - you know where you will be able to find me! They make it really hard here to stay inside and unpack. Guess that we will have many cold, dreary days ahead when we can get completely organized inside!