Of Reading, Fighting, and Rodeo

My, it has been a busy couple of days!  It seems my weekends this summer are busier than my workdays!  I'm not used to having so many things planned back-to-back-to-back, but I'm loving being out and about all the time, even if my gas gauge does not.

Thursday was my first day off of the week.  I closed the night before, so you can be sure that I slept in until about noon. I love my sleep! At three, I took my stepbrother into town and dropped him off at work.  I then had a few hours to kill and, since Dex was busy with homework, I decided to drive up to Manitou. What a silly idea that was.  That little tourist trap was PACKED!  I could not find a free parking spot to save my life (and I wasn't paying $5 just to park for two hours).  I just drove up and up Manitou Ave. until all of a sudden, I was back on 24!  I have no idea how I managed to do that, but oh well.  So I took a lovely mountain drive for a while and got about halfway to Woodland Park before I turned around and headed back down.

Around 5, I arrived at Bear Creek Park.  I still had an hour to kill before everyone else showed up, so I found myself a nice shade tree, sat down at its base, and got some reading done.  Some of you may know that one of my summer goals was to read Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. I absolutely love it, but it is really long, even for me.  I think I'm now about 79% of the way through it.  I would have finished long ago if I hadn't decided to finish Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series.  Hey? I can't read "smart people" books ALL the time. I've got to get my fantasy kick in over the summer as well.  Having the chance to read out in the park was lovely.  I was swarmed by little bugs, but being in the foothills and watching as the storm rolled over the park and then unleashed just beyond was awesome.  I was thrilled that the lightning and thunder seemed to match the tone of the novel at the time.  It was so relaxing, and extremely fun.

When 6 rolled around, I was practically jumping up and down.  It was my first Society of Creative Anachronisms (SCA) meeting, and I was ecstatic.  What is the SCA?  Well, it basically boils down to a group of people who reenact the middle ages (1600's and back).  There is fighting, feasting, dancing, and so much more!  In my own words, the SCA is a group of people who want to "nerd out" just as much as I do, and I love it.  All the people were very friendly and welcoming, and I had a blast learning more about what SCA members actually do.  They have two types of fighting, both where you basically beat the crap out of one another, and they also have an archery group (no compounds, of course).  I originally thought I might want to get involved in the fighting, but after watching them go at it for three hours, I realized my knees probably wouldn't appreciate it.  Heavy fighting is a definite "no" from me, but I still may consider rapier, if the doctor I'm seeing in a few weeks says it is OK.  I am extremely excited about the archery, however.  Now I just need a bow.  Anyone want to go to the Archery Hut?  I'm pretty sure Dad is stoked about my wanting a bow.  I know I am.

One of the great things, in my opinion, about the SCA is they have specific events where you wear period garb (costumes).  For this reason, among others, being an SCA member can become quite expensive.  This was one of the reasons I was a little apprehensive about joining at first.  Apparently, I lucked out on Thursday, however.  Giovanni and his wife were clearing out some of their old stuff!  What didn't go home with people went into the trash.  I ended up taking home 2 Elizabethan gowns, a cotehardie,  a skirt with matching jacket, and a big coat.  So now I have plenty of garb, all for free! I'm very excited to attend some events (like the upcoming Baron's War) in my new period clothing.

Friday, I also slept in.  It is pretty much what I do anytime I can.  Then, I sat around and did a whole lot of nothing, which I loved. I read my book, cried over Say Yes to the Dress, and ate soup.  It was a good day.  Around 7, I drove into town to meet my friend Andy for the 10:10 showing of Inception in IMAX.  We hung out in line (not a very long one), ate burgers, and basically had a good time.  The movie was fantastic. I definitely want to see it again (preferably not in IMAX and in a much cooler location... all the action plus the heat was making me sick).  It may have just been that I was tired, but it seemed pretty complicated to me, so a second (or third) viewing will definitely help me figure it all out.  I did love it though.  Probably my favorite of all the movies I've seen thus far this summer.

My plans are a little unstable today. I'm not quite sure how I will be spending my afternoon. Again, I slept in... though not too late on account of my knee screaming that it was time to get up and walk around.  Something about sitting in movie theaters locks my knees up every freaking time.  I was going to go to the Renaissance Festival, but nobody wants to go with me and I don't want to go by myself.  Oh well, it is here for two or three more weeks.  So now I'm not sure what I'm doing.  I know that tonight, Dad and I are going to the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo.  Neither of us have been to a rodeo since the Stock Show in January, so we figured it was about time (especially since we missed PBR).  I'm looking forward to spending the evening out with my dad. 

In Threes

My family has long subscribed to the superstitious belief that bad things happen in threes.  For the most part, I find it holds true in my experience. For example, within a few days' time in 2007, I came down with shingles, my Aunt Shirley had a stroke and passed away, and my grandfather had to go to the hospital for emergency bypass surgery. One, two, three.  Two years ago, my horse, dog, and a tank full of fish all died within a week. One, two, three.
My boyfriend and some of you readers would say, "That is all just coincidence. Your brain is making connections to fit your superstition. A rule of four would work the same for you." Regardless, today was another terrible day of threes. This morning, my mom told me she got bit by a spider and now has a staph infection. One. This evening, I found out that my stepmom's father is in the hospital and likely won't make it through the night. Two. I also found out that my Uncle Gary, who has been battling cancer for months now, passed away this afternoon. Three.

Uncle Gary,
I did not know you well, but the memories I have are fond ones. I remember when I was a little girl, I came over to your house to discover one of your dogs had a huge litter of puppies.  You gave my siblings and I two of them, who turned out to be some of the best dogs I ever had.  Thank you for Wrinkles and Grins, and all the delightful moments they brought into my life.
Rest in peace, Uncle Gary. May you be forever free from the pain that has plagued you in these recent weeks.
Love,
Audrea

Nashville to Gatlinburg

            Though checkout wasn’t until ten (according to Mom and Karl… the sign on the hotel room door said noon, but whatever), mine and Alyssa’s phones were buzzing cheerily at eight.

            “Time to get up!” they read.  Mere seconds later, “Are you up, [sic] Kari’s flight has been cancelled because of a bird.”

            Ah.  So it all makes sense now.  Mom’s stress and feelings of hopelessness towards Kari’s situation of being stuck on the other side of the country had to be remedied by asserting control over the morning routines of her 20 and 17-year-old daughters. 

            “Give us an hour,” I text back, “Alyssa just hopped in the shower.  Obviously, I’m next.”  Putting my cell on silent, I rolled over and closed my eyes until it was my turn to prepare for the day

            Shortly after leaving our lovely hotel and all those blissfully soft pillows, we arrived at the Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  Not only was it loud and over-crowded (making my claustrophobic self freak out more than just a tad), but also the food was revolting, a fact which my younger sister didn’t hesitate to point out.

            “Don’t be ugly,” my mother chided.

            “The only thing ugly here are these pancakes,” Alyssa shot back.

            One bathroom whose quarters were terrifyingly close, two catnaps, and four hours later, we finally pulled into Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  The quaint tourist town was blanketed in an inch or two of fresh powder and looked every bit like the picture perfect place for a Christmas card, all decked out in holiday array.

            Upon our arrival at the cabin just at the top of one of the small mountains surrounding Gatlinburg (small as in Appalachian vs. Rocky Mountain small), we discovered our driveway had not been plowed and there was no way two vehicles without 4-wheel drive were going to make it down the steep grade.  Nonetheless despite our protests, my stepfather was determined to try.  Luckily my sister was smart enough to catch it on video.

Obviously it was an unsuccessful endeavor and now the SUV is stuck.  At least this meant the end of our mini road trip and Alyssa and I could finally set up the Christmas tree and watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s.