So I'm hanging on to my 5th grade schoolyard hero dreams by a thread. And not only that, I'm also dragging along 14 of my friends and family into this pipedream with me. What is this crazy idea you ask? Kickball, adult-style! May I introduce myself to you as the newly appointed ASSistant coach of the Kickin' Nuggets! <Insert rowdy applause here> Stay tuned for photos because this is probably going to be the most hilarious (embarrassing), fun (traumatic) and humbling (pants-wetting) thing that a bunch of thirty somethings are about to partake in. Did I mention that 60% of the team is engineers? Yeah, I don't foresee a trophy in our near future. BUT when we do get one, you can bet we're going to trick it out that bad boy with LEDs and solar panels! It'll be the team margarita makin' trophy machine.
This is just another one of the ways that Kristen and I are killing time between now and when a baby arrives. Our summer (well, the season anyway because we clearly did something to tick Mother Nature off and she's grounding us from the sun…) is jam packed with fun things that actually kicked off last weekend with the Survivor Mud Run. As you can see from the photos below it was one of the most disgusting things I think that I have done in recent memory. There was mud everywhere! And we're not talking wet dirt here, people. We're talking the soupy stuff and possibly some stuff that was all mixed with some cow stuff. It was gross! But so fun :)
Kevin, Lisa, Me, Michele, Layne and Scott - Mud Run 2011
First sign of the soupy mess ahead - Mud Run 2011
Oh, but first I have to tell you about Memorial Day weekend! Mom and I decided to take a mini-vacay to Victoria BC as neither one of us has ever gone and why the heck not, ya know? So we jumped on the Clipper ferry early Friday and headed north! First stop was Butchart Gardens which allowed us to kill time before we could check in. The story behind that place, if you've never been, is Mr. Butchart was in the concrete business and in digging for said product he created large craters in the ground which Mrs. Butchart came along behind him and his bulldozers and filled with beautiful flowers. There is a place on site that is called The Sunken Garden and it has to be one of the best places on Earth. There is color everywhere and waterfalls and just pure serenity. Put it on your bucket list, people, you do NOT want to miss that. After Buchart Gardens we were dropped off at the hotel. Oh, here is where I have to mention that cell phones in the US will not work in Canada without roaming. Roaming = $$$. Which is a gigantic pain when you're used to having Google at your fingertips and the ability to text anyone at the drop of a dime. So when you get to your hotel and there are 3 calls from your girlfriend with the message, "Call me back ASAP, but it's not an emergency", you tend to get a little freaked out. Why? Because how do you call her back when your phone doesn't work in Canadia!!
Musical fountain - Butchart Gardens, Victoria BC 2011
Top of Rock - Butchart Gardens, Victoria BC 2011
Mom at base of Rock - Butchart Gardens, Victoria BC 2011
Mom: You want me to do WHAT?!? - AdrenaLINE zipline, Victoria BC 2011
Me: This can't be OSHA approved. - AdrenaLINE zipline, Victoria BC 2011
Turns out we got a call from the adoption agency about a woman who had given birth *that morning* and they wanted our permission to submit our information to the birth mother (this is what we refer to as a Last Minute Placement). The catch? We would need to be down in Eugene to pick the baby up the next morning. (Side note: this is the story of my life. I always seem to be about 800 miles and a ferry ride north of where I need to be the next day.) This always so hard and it always breaks my heart and leaves me with a pit in my stomach for a few days. There was news about the birthmother (and subsequently the baby) that might not have been in the best interests of Kristen and I so we told the agency that we would pass on this opportunity. As much as I love it when they call because it means that they're trying on our behalf, when we get calls like that it rocks me to my core. Again, the caretaker in me wants to reach out and help and make everything okay for this baby, but the logical side of me (damn her sometimes) knows that Kristen and I aren't equipped to handle some situations right now. I know that she's found a good home, though. But still I can't help but wonder if this is ever going to happen for us.
Anyway, the rest of the vacation was spent walking around Victoria and trying out all of the little eateries. Mom and I even went ziplining! Let me tell you a little bit about this. I'm not afraid of heights. If fact, I don't think that people have a fear of heights, per se. Why? You get to see the most amazing things being up where you normally aren't, right?? I think that, like me, the majority of people are afraid of FALLING from said height. Because who the heck wants that, ya know? Anyway, there's still something terrifying about being ATV'ed up a hillside to the first zipline where there is nothing between you and the Sooke Rainforest but a ¾" steel cable and the little keychain clips they sell for $4.99 at Walmart. Plus learning that the first zipline is called Commitment. Why, you ask? Because as soon as you step off that platform there's no getting " back down to earth" until the end of the session. So here we are, mom and I, zigzagging across the treetops at 45mph. So fun!
From now until the middle of August or so, my weekends are filled with little fun things to look forward to and I'm excited about that. Pride, Kristen's birthday BBQ, the Warrior Dash, NKOTBSB concert (yes, I can't believe I just admitted to that either) and much more! Plus, during the week there's always soccer and now kickball and finding the time to spend time taking care of both houses and hitting up the local self-serve fro-yo place!
I've been a little down lately about some things, but I can tell in going back and reading this post and remembering the fun times that I've had lately that my life is actually pretty great. I really do have amazing friends and family who are cheering along with Kristen and I as we go through this process and offering support and words of encouragement when they can. We'll get there one day, friends.
And when we do, you get to babysit!
